C4E leadership update

From: EVPRP – Theresa S. Mayer <evprp@purdue.edu>
Date: Monday, August 9, 2021 at 1:30 PM
To: EVPRP – Theresa S. Mayer <evprp@purdue.edu>
Subject: FW: C4E leadership update

Dear Colleagues,

I want to share that Jennifer L. Freeman, Professor of Toxicology in the School of Health Sciences, will serve as the Interim Director of the Center for the Environment. She succeeds center director Tim Filley, who is leaving Purdue to launch a new environment and sustainability initiative at the University of Oklahoma.

Jennifer’s appointment for the Center for the Environment began on August 1, 2021. In this role, she will continue to promote proactive, collaborative, and interdisciplinary research and engagement to address global challenges in environment and sustainability.

Jennifer joined the Center’s leadership team as the founding convener of the Chemical Exposures signature research area in 2017. She is also a member of the PFAS research group that is developing programs and connections on state and national levels. She is a faculty affiliate of the Environmental and Ecological Engineering program, holds a courtesy appointment in the Department of Public Health, and is a member of Purdue’s Teaching Academy.

Prior to this position, Jennifer directed the School of Health Sciences Undergraduate Curriculum Committee from 2013-2019 and also developed and directed the School of Health Sciences Undergraduate Honors Research Program from 2011-2021. She has served as a standing member of the NIH/NIEHS Environmental Health Sciences Review Committee and was a member of the NASEM committee that assessed the hazards of organohalogen flame retardants.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Tim for his leadership and service throughout his time Purdue. He has played an instrumental role in positioning Purdue as a leader in creating solutions to global environmental and sustainability challenges through the launch, strategic growth, and outreach of numerous national and international programs. Tim was a founding member of the Purdue Climate Change Research Center, the director of the U.S.-China Eco-partnership for environmental sustainability, and the lead principal investigator of the Arequipa Nexus Institute.

As director of the Center for the Environment, Tim led efforts to promote proactive, interdisciplinary research, learning, and engagement at Purdue. Under his leadership, the center grew from 130 faculty affiliates to the current 195 and doubled the affiliated and awarded grants. He supported the development of several cross-cutting initiatives in the areas of the new carbon economy, environmental justice, and international sustainability partnerships.

Please join me in welcoming Jennifer to this role and wishing Tim all the best in his new endeavor.

I would appreciate it if you’d share this message with your contacts.

Sincerely,

Theresa