Sara L Nason
Departments of Environmental Sciences and Analytical Chemistry
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
123 Huntington Street
P.O. Box 1106
New Haven, CT 06504
Voice: (203) 974-8463
Email: Sara.Nason@ct.gov
Expertise
Dr. Nason uses liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) to detect contaminants in agricultural and environmental systems. She is interested in understanding how organic contaminants move and transform in the environment and how environmental releases of chemicals can lead to unintended human exposures and health impacts.
Current Research
Dr. Nason’s current projects include:
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Examining contaminant movement and transformation in agricultural systems that use recycled wastewater for irrigation
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Testing the effectiveness of remediation efforts for sites contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
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Developing reliable and reproducible methods for suspect screening and non-targeted analysis studies using LC-HRMS
Past Research
Dr. Nason’s graduate work focused on mechanisms for plant accumulation of polar and ionizable organic contaminants. As a postdoctoral fellow, she focused on learning LC-HRMS techniques and examining contaminant transformation pathways in waste treatment systems.
Education
Ph.D. in Environmental Chemistry and Technology, University of Wisconsin – Madison, 2017
B.S. in Geosciences, Princeton University, 2012
Postdoctoral Experience
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2018-2019
Station Career
Assistant Agricultural Scientist II, 2019-present
Selected Publications
Nason, S.L., Miller, E.L., Karthikeyan, K.G., and Pedersen, J.A. Effects of Binary Mixtures and Transpiration on Accumulation of Pharmaceuticals by Spinach. Environmental Science and Technology 2019 53(9), 4850-4859.
Nason, S.L., Miller, E.L., Karthikeyan, K.G., and Pedersen, J.A. Plant-induced Changes to Rhizosphere pH Impact Leaf Accumulation of Lamotrigine but not Carbamazepine. Environmental Science and Technology Letters 2018 5(6), 377-381.
Miller, E.L., Nason, S.L., Karthikeyan, K.G., and Pedersen, J.A. Root Uptake of Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Product Ingredients. Environmental Science and Technology 2016 50(2), 525-541.