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Jeremy M. Gernand

Jeremy Gernand is currently working for the Center for the Environmental Implications of NanoTechnology (CEINT) developing risk assessment methodologies to anticipate the potential hazards to human health and environmental ecosystems from the emissions of nanomaterials. He is generally interested in developing methods and processes that harness the information available in empirical data for a probabilistic assessment of risks and the effectiveness of available mitigations.

Given the unique properties of nanomaterials (substances in particle form smaller than 100 nanometers) in which they can act both unlike bulk solids and also unlike chemical solutions, it is possible that new risks to human health or the environment may arise from a nano-version of a material we already know.

Since we do not have the same wealth of experience with these materials as we do with other potential chemical pollutants, there is not yet agreement on which specific measurements or attributes of the nanomaterials will be necessary to predict risk.

Gernand is employing a machine learning technique that involves aggregating information on the information value of different potential measurable attributes across many in vivo toxicology experiments involving nanomaterials. Preliminary results indicate some attributes indeed are much more indicative of certain specific risk measures (e.g. lung inflammation) than others. Further analysis may be able contribute to the debate surrounding the minimum characterization tests necessary to define and compare different sets of nanomaterials.

Gernand has 8 years of experience as a Safety and Reliability Engineer in the aerospace field along with 3 years of international experience as an educator and management liaison (in Guinea, West Africa; and Bangladesh). He holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University (B.S., 1998) and Rice University (M.S. 2006).