Julia Rager

Julia Rager is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health. She serves as Associate Chair for Strategic Initiatives and leads the Rager Lab within the Institute for Environmental Health Solutions and UNC Superfund Research Program.

• Education:
  • PhD in Environmental Sciences and Engineering (Toxicology focus), UNC (2013)
  • MSEE, UNC (2010)
  • BS in Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Texas (2008)

Research Themes: Dr. Rager investigates environmental chemical mixtures through three approaches: computational modeling of harmful chemicals, in vitro toxicity testing, and non-targeted screening of human exposures. Her work spans wildfire smoke, PFAS, air pollution, and drinking water contaminants.

Article Trends: Recent publications focus on extracellular vesicle responses to pollutants, urban wildfire risk, epigenetic mechanisms in disease, and computational frameworks for environmental monitoring. Her TAME Toolkit (2022) provides open-access data science resources for environmental health researchers.

• Scientific Awards:
  • Gillings Research Excellence Award (2023)
  • NIEHS Extramural Paper of the Month (2022-2023)
  • Hettleman Prize for Scholarly Achievement (2024)
  • US EPA STAR Award (2020)
  • Society of Toxicology Fellowships (2012-2013)
• Leadership: Directs the Rager Lab and contributes to UNC Curriculum in Toxicology & Environmental Medicine, Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma & Lung Biology.