Richard T Di Giulio
Sally Kleberg Distinguished Professor of Environmental Toxicology
Dr. Di Giulio serves as Director of Duke University's Integrated Toxicology Program and the Superfund Basic Research Center.
Dr. Di Giulio's research is concerned with basic studies of mechanisms of contaminant metabolism, adaptation and toxicity, and with the development of mechanistically-based indices of exposure and toxicity that can be employed in biomonitoring. The long term goals of this research are to bridge the gap between mechanistic toxicological research and the development of useful tools for environmental assessment, and to elucidate linkages between human and ecosystem health. The bulk of Dr. Di Giulio's work employs a comparative approach with aquatic animals, particularly fishes, as models. Of particular concern are mechanisms of oxidative metabolism of aromatic hydrocarbons, mechanisms of free radical production and antioxidant defense, and mechanisms of chemical carcinogenesis, developmental perturbations and adaptations to contaminated environments by fishes.
Appointments and Affiliations
- Sally Kleberg Distinguished Professor of Environmental Toxicology
- Professor of Environmental Toxicology
- Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Contact Information
- Office Location: A346b Lev Sci Res Ctr, Durham, NC 27708
- Office Phone: (919) 613-8024
- Email Address: richd@duke.edu
Education
- Ph.D. Virginia Polytech Institute and State University, 1982
- M.S. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, 1978
- B.A. University of Texas, Austin, 1972
Courses Taught
- ENVIRON 393: Research Independent Study
- ENVIRON 394: Research Independent Study
- ENVIRON 501: Environmental Toxicology
- ENVIRON 501D: Environmental Toxicology
- ENVIRON 593: Independent Studies and Projects
- ENVIRON 899: Master's Project
- ENVIRON 997: Duke Environmental Leadership: Independent Studies and Projects
- ENVIRON 999: Duke Environmental Leadership: Master's Project
In the News
- From Clean Up To Cutting Edge Research (Nov 3, 2017 | Nicholas School of the Environment)
- Superfund Center Wins Five-Year Renewal (Jul 11, 2017)
- Synthetic Chemicals Understudied Drivers of Environmental Change (Jan 24, 2017 | Nicholas School of the Environment)
- Blocking Key Gene Reduces Cigarette Smoke Toxicity in Fish Embryos (Sep 19, 2016)
- Duke Awards Distinguished Professorships, Inducts New Bass Society Members (May 5, 2016)
- An Unexpected Direction (Nov 10, 2014)
- Duke And UNC Superfund Research Centers Hosting Visiting Journalists (Mar 10, 2014)
- Mining Appalachia has permanent effects on its landscape (Jan 28, 2014 | Duke Research Blog)
Representative Publications
- Mello, DF; Trevisan, R; Rivera, N; Geitner, NK; Di Giulio, RT; Wiesner, MR; Hsu-Kim, H; Meyer, JN, Caveats to the use of MTT, neutral red, Hoechst and Resazurin to measure silver nanoparticle cytotoxicity., Chemico Biological Interactions, vol 315 (2020) [10.1016/j.cbi.2019.108868] [abs].
- Lindberg, CD; Di Giulio, RT, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and hypoxia exposures result in mitochondrial dysfunction in zebrafish., Aquatic Toxicology (Amsterdam, Netherlands), vol 216 (2019) [10.1016/j.aquatox.2019.105298] [abs].
- Volkoff, SJ; Osterberg, JS; Jayasundara, N; Cooper, E; Hsu-Kim, H; Rogers, L; Gehrke, GE; Jayaraman, S; Di Giulio, RT, Embryonic Fundulus heteroclitus responses to sediment extracts from differentially contaminated sites in the Elizabeth River, VA., Ecotoxicology (London, England), vol 28 no. 9 (2019), pp. 1126-1135 [10.1007/s10646-019-02116-z] [abs].
- Trevisan, R; Voy, C; Chen, S; Di Giulio, RT, Nanoplastics Decrease the Toxicity of a Complex PAH Mixture but Impair Mitochondrial Energy Production in Developing Zebrafish., Environmental Science & Technology, vol 53 no. 14 (2019), pp. 8405-8415 [10.1021/acs.est.9b02003] [abs].
- Brandt, JE; Simonin, M; Di Giulio, RT; Bernhardt, ES, Beyond Selenium: Coal Combustion Residuals Lead to Multielement Enrichment in Receiving Lake Food Webs., Environmental Science & Technology, vol 53 no. 8 (2019), pp. 4119-4127 [10.1021/acs.est.9b00324] [abs].