Richard T Di Giulio

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 360D: Environmental Health: Pollutant Chemistry and Toxicology
  • ENVIRON 393: Research Independent Study
  • ENVIRON 394: Research Independent Study
  • ENVIRON 501D: Environmental Toxicology
  • ENVIRON 610: Ecotoxicology
  • 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

Representative Publications

  • Chernick, M; Burke, T; Lieberman, N; Brown, DR; Di Giulio, RT; Hinton, DE, Heart development in two populations of Atlantic killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) following exposure to a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon mixture., Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, vol 208 (2021) [10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.111580] [abs].
  • Babich, R; Ulrich, JC; Ekanayake, EMDV; Massarsky, A; De Silva, PMCS; Manage, PM; Jackson, BP; Ferguson, PL; Di Giulio, RT; Drummond, IA; Jayasundara, N, Kidney developmental effects of metal-herbicide mixtures: Implications for chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology., Environment International, vol 144 (2020) [10.1016/j.envint.2020.106019] [abs].
  • Polidoro, B; Matson, CW; Ottinger, MA; Renegar, DA; Romero, IC; Schlenk, D; Wise, JP; Beltrán González, J; Bruns, P; Carpenter, K; Cobián Rojas, D; Collier, TK; Duda, TF; González-Díaz, P; Di Giulio, R; Grubbs, RD; Haney, JC; Incardona, JP; Horta-Puga, G; Linardich, C; Moore, JA; Pech, D; Perera Valderrama, S; Ralph, GM; Strongin, K; Ringwood, AH; Würsig, B, A multi-taxonomic framework for assessing relative petrochemical vulnerability of marine biodiversity in the Gulf of Mexico., The Science of the Total Environment (2020) [10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142986] [abs].
  • Baldwin, WS; Bain, LJ; Di Giulio, R; Kullman, S; Rice, CD; Ringwood, AH; den Hurk, PV, 20th Pollutant Responses in Marine Organisms (PRIMO 20): Global issues and fundamental mechanisms caused by pollutant stress in marine and freshwater organisms., Aquatic Toxicology (Amsterdam, Netherlands), vol 227 (2020) [10.1016/j.aquatox.2020.105620] [abs].
  • Trevisan, R; Uzochukwu, D; Di Giulio, RT, PAH Sorption to Nanoplastics and the Trojan Horse Effect as Drivers of Mitochondrial Toxicity and PAH Localization in Zebrafish, Frontiers in Environmental Science, vol 8 (2020) [10.3389/fenvs.2020.00078] [abs].