Katrina M. Waters

Dr. Katrina M. Waters is a Distinguished Chief Scientist & Laboratory Fellow at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) with joint faculty appointments at Oregon State University and the University of Washington. With over 25 years of experience, she leads groundbreaking research at the intersection of environmental exposures, infectious diseases, and human health through systems biology, bioinformatics, and computational toxicology approaches. Her work has established her as a national and international leader with more than 150 publications and significant contributions to major research programs including the DOE's National Virtual Biotechnology Laboratory program on COVID-19 transmission, the NIEHS Superfund Research Program, and the NIAID Centers for Predictive Modeling of Infectious Diseases.

• PhD in Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin (1996)
• AB in Chemistry, Ripon College (1992)
• National Research Service Award Postdoctoral Fellowship with Thomas C. Spelsberg, Mayo Graduate School of Medicine (1997-1999)
• Postdoctoral Fellowship with Kevin Gaido, Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology Centers for Health Research (1999-2001)

Dr. Waters' research focuses on pathway-based biomarker discovery for environmental exposure to toxicants, high-throughput screening approaches for hazard assessment, predictive modeling of viral infections including influenza, SARS, Ebola, and West Nile virus, and the development of computational tools for integration of genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics data. Her work in machine learning, biomarker discovery, and public health has had broad translational impact by influencing toxicological risk assessments and advancing public health protection. She has pioneered approaches for multi-omics data integration and modeling to elucidate complex disease processes and identify therapeutic strategies and interventions.

Analysis of Dr. Waters' recent publications reveals a strong focus on environmental health and infectious disease research, with particular emphasis on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), PFAS toxicity, viral pathogenesis, and multi-omics data integration. Her work combines community-based exposure assessment with advanced computational approaches, demonstrating a consistent trajectory of innovation in linking environmental exposures to biological outcomes. The research spans from fundamental molecular mechanisms to population-level health impacts, with increasing emphasis on data science approaches for integrating complex biological datasets.

• Pacific Northwest Association of Toxicologists (PANWAT) Achievement Award (2024)
• Election as Fellow of AAAS (2023)
• Election to the Washington State Academy of Sciences (2021)
• Secretary of Energy Appreciation Award for NVBL COVID-19 response (2021)
• Laboratory Fellow, PNNL (2018)
• Secretary of Energy Appreciation Award for Ebola Task Force (2017)

As a recognized global leader, Dr. Waters has served on multiple National Academy of Sciences committees and advisory boards, including the U.S. EPA's Board of Scientific Counselors. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and has held editorial positions for prominent journals including Scientific Data and Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology. Her leadership extends to major research initiatives including the DOE's National Virtual Biotechnology Laboratory program on airborne transmission of COVID-19 and the NIEHS Superfund Research Program. She has mentored numerous researchers and students through her joint faculty appointments at Oregon State University and the University of Washington.

Dr. Waters leads research teams focused on systems biology, computational toxicology, and environmental health sciences at PNNL. Her work involves multidisciplinary collaborations across national laboratories, universities, and government agencies to address complex environmental health challenges. She directs efforts in multi-omics data integration, predictive modeling of disease processes, and development of computational tools for environmental exposure assessment and risk characterization.