Kurt Pennell

About

Kurt Pennell is the 250th Anniversary Professor of Engineering at Brown University. His research interests include groundwater remediation technologies, environmental toxicology, engineered nanomaterials, and the fate and transport of environmental contaminants. He has been recognized for his contributions through awards such as winning a pair of Best Papers from ES&T in 2024 and receiving significant research funding, including a $1.36 million award for in situ remediation of PFAS-impacted groundwater. Pennell is actively involved in advancing environmental engineering solutions and has been part of multi-center efforts to improve pharmacology and environmental health.

Research topics

• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Environmental chemistry
• Environmental science
• Medicine
• Organic chemistry
• Artificial Intelligence
• Engineering
• Political Science
• Biology

Selected publications

• Non-targeted analysis (NTA) and suspect screening analysis (SSA): a review of examining the chemical exposome

  Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology · 2023 · 163 citations

  Non-targeted analysis (NTA) and suspect screening analysis (SSA) are powerful techniques that rely on high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and computational tools to detect and identify unknown or suspected chemicals in the exposome. Fully understanding the chemical exposome requires characterization of both environmental media and human specimens. As such, we conducted a review to examine the use of different NTA and SSA methods in various exposure media and human samples, including the res…

  DOI

• Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): Current status and research needs

  Environmental Technology & Innovation · 2020 · 102 citations

  DOI

• An actionable annotation scoring framework for gas chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry

  Exposome · 2022 · 73 citations

  Omics-based technologies have enabled comprehensive characterization of our exposure to environmental chemicals (chemical exposome) as well as assessment of the corresponding biological responses at the molecular level (eg, metabolome, lipidome, proteome, and genome). By systematically measuring personal exposures and linking these stimuli to biological perturbations, researchers can determine specific chemical exposures of concern, identify mechanisms and biomarkers of toxicity, and design inte…

  DOI

• In-situ sequestration of perfluoroalkyl substances using polymer-stabilized ion exchange resin

  Journal of Hazardous Materials · 2021 · 53 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  DOI

• Biotransformation of 8:2 Fluorotelomer Alcohol in Soil from Aqueous Film-Forming Foams (AFFFs)-Impacted Sites under Nitrate-, Sulfate-, and Iron-Reducing Conditions

  Environmental Science & Technology · 2022 · 50 citations

  COOH) were identified for the first time during 8:2 FTOH biotransformation. Comprehensive biotransformation pathways for 8:2 FTOH are presented, which highlight the importance of accounting for redox condition and the related microbial community in the assessment of PFAS transformations in natural environments.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant K25ES014659

  NIH · $426k · 2010

• UNS: Collaborative Research: Effects of Nano-Bio Interactions on Nanoparticle Fate and Transport in Porous Media

  NSF · $272k · 2017–2021

• Laboratory Revitalization for Environmental Sustainability Research at Tufts University

  NSF · $1.6M · 2010–2013

Frequent coauthors

• Linda M. Abriola

  Brown University

  253 shared

• Katherine E. Manz

  University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

  144 shared

• Douglas I. Walker

  Emory University

  129 shared

• Natalie L. Cápiro

  Cornell University

  120 shared

• Dean P. Jones

  Emory University

  119 shared

• Karan Uppal

  93 shared

• C. Andrew Ramsburg

  Tufts University

  89 shared

• Frank E. Löffler

  University of Tennessee at Knoxville

  85 shared

Education

• Post-doctoral Fellow, Civil and Environmental Engineering

  University of Michigan

  1993

• PhD, Soil and Water Science

  University of Florida

  1990

• MS, Forest Resources

  North Carolina State University

  1986

• BS, Forest Resources

  University of Maine

  1984

Awards & honors

• Pennell wins pair of Best Papers from ES&T in 2024
• Pennell awarded $1.7M as part of greater Columbia University…
• Pennell awarded $1.36M for in situ remediation of PFAS-impac…
• Hazeltine Innovation Awards established; initial winners nam…
• Brown Engineers Awarded $2.5M for PFAS Research