Jim Oris
2013 Recipient - Department of Biology
Dean Oris was named University Distinguished Scholar in 2013. He served as dean of the Graduate School from 2012 until his retirement. A nominator writes, “He ranks among the top couple of scientists in the world dealing with the effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) on aquatic organisms,” said one of his nominators. “ ... the PAHs are common and can be extremely problematic due to their increased toxicity in sunlight.”
Jim Oris
His research has led California to ban certain watercraft in Lake Tahoe. He also has provided scientific leadership on the assessment of clarifying the effects of the oil spill in Prince William Sound by the Exxon Valdez and studied the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, particularly the photoenhanced toxicity of the oil to fish and zooplankton in the Gulf of Mexico.
His work has been supported by more than $4 million in external research funding and has resulted in more than 100 papers, review articles and invited book chapters. Among other leadership positions, Oris has served as president of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) North America. He has been a member of the U.S. EPA's Scientific Advisory Board and is a member of the National Research Council panel "Human and Environmental Exposure Science in the 21st Century."
He has served as editor of two professional journals, including Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, and on the editorial board of three others.As professor of zoology, he has “been among the most outstanding faculty members in the sciences at Miami University” for more than a decade, according to his nominators.Oris received the Miami University Distinguished Scholar Award in 2008 and the Researcher of the Year Award from the Miami University Chapter of Sigma Xi in 2000.
