Program Faculty

Dr. Demokritou’s fundamental research focuses on understanding how environmental and engineered nanoparticles and advanced materials interact with biological and environmental systems and their effects on health. His pioneer research on particle health effects sheds light on how the physicochemical and morphological properties and structure of both environmental nanoparticles and engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) define their bioactivity and toxicological footprint in general and their impact on human health. His patented particle technologies have been used extensively by public health regulators such as US EPA, NIOSH, Environment Canada, etc, Netherlands’ National Institute for Environmental Health (RIVM), and have advanced the particle health effects research around the globe. His pioneer studies in the nanosafety field were instrumental in understanding the effects of both source-specific ambient nanoparticles and, more recently, in defining structure activity relationaships for engineered nanomaterials (ENMs). Additionally, his translational nanoscience research goes beyond assessing the nano-bio interactions and focuses on understanding, manipulating, and applying nanoscale materials and phenomena to address major environmental and public health challenges of the 21st century in food safety and security, agrichemical delivery, airborne infectious diseases, obesity, climate change and sustainability. Dr. Demokritou is the founding Director of two interdisciplinary research Centers at Harvard University: 1) Harvard-NIEHS Nanosafety Research Center and; 2) Center for Nanotechnology and Nanotoxicology. He is also the founding Program Director of the Harvard-Nanyang Technological University/Singapore Sustainable Nanotechnology Initiative (2016-2022). He is also the founder of the Rutgers EH Nanoscience and Advanced Materials Research Center at Rutgers University. He served as a co-PI of the Harvard-EPA PM Health Effect Center (1999-2010, US EPA star grant) and the Director of the Harvard-Cyprus International Institute for the Environment and Public Health from 2005-2008. Throughout his 25+ academic career, he served as PI, co-PI, or co-investigator on several grants funded by NIH, EPA, NIOSH, NSF, USDA/NIFA, CPSC, and EU research framework (FP7). He holds more than a dozen international/US patents and inventions and is a co-founder of DIETRICS. He is a co-author of two books, numerous book chapters, and more than 250 articles in leading journals in nanoscience, particle health effects, and aerosol engineering fields. Dr. Demokritou’s innovative research was highlighted in major mainstream media and online magazines, including articles published in the Economist, NanoWerk, Chemistry world, The Scientist, ACS C&EN News, MIT News, Harvard Gazette, and NPR news. Dr. Demokritou is currently the Henry Rutgers Chair and Professor in Nanoscience and Environmental Bioengineering at Rutgers Biomedical Health Sciences and Division Chair at the Environmental Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI). Before joining Rutgers in September 2021, he was a Professor at TH Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University for 25 years. He is also the founding co-editor in chief of NanoImpact (Elsevier).

Publications

NCBI Bibliography