Kristen Keteles

Education

Ph.D. in Biological Sciences (Zoology), Louisiana State University, 2001

B.S. in Marine Science, Coastal Carolina University, 1995

Biography

Kristen is an environmental toxicologist, and her research includes the use of new approach methods such as gene and cell-based methods for detecting exposure to contaminants of emerging concern in aquatic life in order to determine ecological risk from complex mixtures of chemicals. She currently works at the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) environmental forensics lab in Denver, Colorado, where she provides support to environmental crime investigations and prosecutions as an expert witness. As part of her job at the EPA, she conducts human health and ecological risk assessments and serves as a technical expert on the adverse effects of exposure to pesticides and other toxics. She came to the EPA from the National Park Service (NPS) where she was a contaminants specialist, coordinating natural resource condition assessments at coastal National Parks. Prior to that, she was faculty in the Department of Biology at the University of Central Arkansas where she coordinated the environmental science program. She lives outside of Denver, Colorado, and in her spare time she enjoys mountain biking, backcountry skiing, and whitewater stand-up paddle boarding. One of her favorite quotes is from Edward Abbey, "It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it while you can, while it is still there." So she spends a lot of time outdoors exploring and enjoying the Colorado mountains or desert.