Research Interests
Brett Poulin is an organic geochemist with the Water Mission Area in Boulder, Colorado. He completed B.S. degrees in Chemistry and Biology, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Environmental Engineering. His research focuses on the chemistry of natural organic matter in natural and managed aquatic environments, with an emphasis on natural organic matter optical measurements, biotic and abiotic transformations, and interactions with trace metal contaminants. Current research projects link transformations of organic carbon and nutrients in major U.S. rivers to microbial communities, relate transformations of natural organic matter in wetlands and reservoirs to mercury bioavailability, and identify the influences of natural organic matter redox chemistry on the fate of trace metal contaminants. His involvement in field-scale projects aid development of ecosystem-scale contaminant fate and risk-based assessment models that inform water management decisions.