Niladri Basu

Professor Niladri Basu holds a Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Environmental Health Sciences at McGill University with joint appointments in the Department of Natural Resource Sciences and School of Human Nutrition within the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Additional affiliations include McGill’s School of the Environment, Department of Epidemiology/Biostatistics/Occupational Health (Faculty of Medicine), and adjunct professorship at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

His research program addresses toxic chemical threats through three integrated pillars: Intersectoral Empathy (stakeholder-driven projects with governments and vulnerable communities), Multidisciplinary Knowledge (scaling toxicological responses across species and biological tiers), and Environmental Justice (framing contamination as a human rights issue). Current initiatives include environmental biotechnology (EcoToxChip Project), community-driven studies with Indigenous Peoples and informal sector workers, and policy synthesis for the UN Minamata Convention and chemicals management frameworks.

Professor Basu has secured over $40 million in research funding, produced 200+ peer-reviewed publications, and trained 100+ students including 18 postdoctoral fellows and 12 PhD candidates. His work bridges environmental science and public health with direct policy impacts through the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health and Canada’s Chemicals Management Plan.

Awards & Honors

• Canada Research Chair (2013-2023)
• OECD CRP Fellowship (2021)
• UM Excellence in Teaching Award (2013)
• Environmental Health Sciences Communication Fellow (2009)

He mentors graduate students through the Basu Lab and teaches core courses including NUTR 450 (Research Methods), NRSC 670/671 (Environmental Health Sciences), and PARA 515 (Water/Health/Sanitation), emphasizing ethics, interdisciplinary approaches, and community engagement in environmental health research.