Jacqueline Gerson is a Ph.D. candidate in Ecology at Duke University and a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellow. Prior to beginning her Ph.D., she earned a master's degree in environmental engineering science at Syracuse University.
Her research focuses on the impact of contaminants on the environment. Specifically, she examine mercury and selenium from mountaintop mining of coal in West Virginia and artisanal gold mining in Peru and Senegal. She seeks to understand what happens to these pollutants once they enter the air, soil, and water and the implications this has for people and wildlife.
In addition to her research, Jacqueline also co-founded and direct GALS (Girls on outdoor Adventure for Leadership and Science). This is a free two-week backpacking summer program for high school students identifying as female or gender non-conforming from backgrounds underrepresented in STEM to learn hands-on science from scientists at Duke University.