Staci L Massey Simonich

Staci Simonich is an American environmental scientist who is a professor and dean for the College of Agricultural Sciences at Oregon State University. Her research considers how chemicals move through the environment. She was appointed Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2021.

Early life and education Simonich grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Her father worked in a paper mill. Her house was near the Fox River, which suffered from issues with pollution. As part of her undergraduate research, she studied polychlorinated biphenyls in Green Bay. After graduating she moved to Indiana University Bloomington, where she studied the role of vegetation in removing organic pollutants from the atmosphere. During her doctoral research she studied polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the atmospherere. Her research combines lab-based studies with field experiments and computational modelling.

Research and career Simonich joined Procter & Gamble, where she spent six years working on consumer food products. She investigated the environmental impacts of P&G ingredients. that they reach with other chemicals, and that they make use of various transport pathways.

Simonich has studied several different types of PAH and monitored their environmental impact. She is particularly interested in environmental remediation and ways to remove PAHs from soil. Unfortunately, some forms of bioremidation can lead the breakdown products that are more toxic than the original compounds.

Simonich was made Executive Associate Dean in 2020.

Awards and honors 2003 National Science Foundation CAREER Award 2011 Scientific and Technological Achievement Award Level III for Innovative Design, Implementation and Synthesis Assessing Impact of Airborne Contaminants on Western National Parks, United States Environmental Protection Agency 2013 Oregon State University Impact Award for Outstanding Scholarship 2013 Super Reviewer Award, Environmental Science & Technology (Journal) 2015 James and Mildred Oldfield/E.R. Jackman Team Award, in recognition of Oregon State University Superfund Research Program

Selected publications