Kristine Willett
Chair and Professor of Pharmacology & Environmental Toxicology in BioMolecular Sciences and Research Professor in the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Kristine L. Willett, PhD is Chair of the Department of BioMolecular Sciences in the School of Pharmacy at the University of Mississippi. A professor of Pharmacology and Environmental Toxicology, she has taught both graduate and undergraduate courses in toxicology and environmental toxicology since 2000 when she came to UM. She also teaches in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College.
Research Interests
- Using zebrafish to understand the developmental toxicity of cannabinoids and benzo[a]pyrene
- Assessing Lead in Drinking Water in Mississippi
- Affects of climate change on oysters in Mississippi Sound
Biography
Dr. Willett earned her BA in Chemistry at the University of North Carolina and a PhD in Toxicology from Texas A&M University. She was a Dreyfus postdoctoral fellow in environmental chemistry at Indiana University followed by an RJR Leon Golberg postdoctoral fellow in toxicology at Duke University. During her time at UM, she has mentored nine Masters, nine PhD, and more than 70 high school and undergraduate students in her laboratory. She also serves as the Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program Coordinator. Dr. Willett’s research has been funded over the years by NIDA, NIEHS, NOAA and the Army Corps of Engineers and resulted in 80+ manuscripts and book chapters. Her lab studies the developmental, reproductive and multigenerational impacts of cannabinoids and benzo[a]pyrene exposure using fish models. She also studies consequences of environmental stressors on oysters and the concentrations of lead in residential drinking water samples in MS. She serves as a Deputy Editor of Toxicological Sciences. She earned the University of Mississippi Research and Creative Achievement Award in 2023 and was the 2023 SEC Faculty Achievement Award winner representing UM.
Education
B.A. Chemistry, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (1993)
Ph.D. Toxicology, Texas A&M University (1997)