Linda S. Birnbaum, Ph.D., D.A.B.T., A.T.S. is the former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) of the National Institutes of Health, and the National Toxicology Program (NTP). As a board-certified toxicologist, Birnbaum served as a federal scientist for 40 years. Prior to her appointment as NIEHS and NTP Director in 2009, she spent 19 years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where she directed the largest division focusing on environmental health research. After retirement, she was granted scientist emeritus status and still maintains a laboratory. Birnbaum’s research focuses on the pharmacokinetic behavior of environmental chemicals, mechanisms of action of toxicants including endocrine disruption, and the linking of real-world exposures to health effects.

A native of New Jersey, Birnbaum received her M.S. and Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Dr. Kaytee Canfield is a social scientist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development in the Office of Science Advisor, Policy, and Engagement. They are a qualitative social scientist by training and lead translational science efforts to improve partner-engaged environmental and public health research approaches, communication, and engagement. In the past, her work has focused on inclusive science communication, engagement in water quality research, and justice in tourism development.

Jahred Liddie is a doctoral candidate in Population Health Sciences in the Environmental Health Department at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He is a member of the Biogeochemistry of Global Contaminants Lab, led by Prof. Elsie Sunderland. His doctoral research focuses on sociodemographic disparities in drinking water contamination by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), temporal trends in PFAS drinking water contamination, and implications for population health due to widespread PFAS exposures.

Jahred is originally from central New Jersey. Before starting graduate school, he was a sustainability consultant at Sphera (formerly thinkstep), where he primarily conducted environmental life cycle assessments. He received his B.A. in Environmental Sciences and Engineering from Harvard College and his M.S. in Environmental Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Chelsea Rochman is an Assistant Professor in Ecology at the University of Toronto and co-founder of the U of T Trash Team. Chelsea has been working on the topic of plastic pollution for 15 years and has won awards for her research – e.g., Sloan Research Fellowship, NSERC Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship. Chelsea received her Ph.D. in Ecology from UC Davis and San Diego State University. In addition to her research, Chelsea routinely advises local, federal and international governmental bodies on policies related to plastic pollution.