Paul Turner

Paul Turner is Associate Professor and Associate Chair of Global, Environmental, and Occupational Health at the University of Maryland. His research focuses on chemical exposures in acute and chronic diseases across three primary areas: mitigating early life dietary toxin exposures in sub-Saharan Africa; improving food security through sustainable energy/water initiatives in Tanzania; and analyzing environmental pollutants in water systems.

Research interests include:

• Dietary toxins linked to cancer and growth retardation
• Aflatoxin-hepatitis B interactions in liver cancer
• Sustainable agricultural interventions
• Climate change impacts on toxin exposure patterns

His seminal work established relationships between aflatoxin biomarkers and immune suppression in children, and developed affordable intervention strategies recommended by WHO/IARC. Dr. Turner directs the Mass-Spectrometry Core Facility and is accepting PhD students for Fall 2025.

He teaches courses on food and chemical toxicology, and global health. As co-organizer of the East Africa FEW Conference, he facilitates solutions for smallholder farmers. Current research includes the Maryland Safe Drinking Water Study investigating PFAS and heavy metals.