Sean M. Harris

Dr. Sean M. Harris is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. His research focuses on understanding how environmental toxicants contribute to adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth and preeclampsia. He employs a multidisciplinary approach combining transcriptomics, metabolomics, primary tissue models, and computational methods to investigate molecular mechanisms of toxicant effects on the placenta and fetal membranes.

Dr. Harris received his educational training at:

• PhD, University of Washington, 2015
• BS, Western Michigan University, 2007

Dr. Harris's research centers on female reproductive toxicology, with particular emphasis on immunotoxicology during pregnancy, toxicant-pathogen interactive effects, computational approaches in toxicology, and extracellular vesicle biology. His work investigates how environmental contaminants like trichloroethylene affect placental function and contribute to pregnancy complications. He utilizes advanced methodologies including transcriptomics, metabolomics, and primary tissue models to uncover molecular mechanisms underlying toxicant-induced pregnancy disorders.

Analysis of Dr. Harris's recent publications reveals a strong focus on environmental toxicants and pregnancy outcomes. His work examines how chemicals like trichloroethylene and PFAS affect placental function, immune responses, and metabolic pathways during pregnancy. There's a clear trajectory toward increasingly sophisticated methodologies, including single-cell transcriptomics and metabolomics approaches to understand sex-specific responses to environmental exposures. His research has important implications for understanding environmental contributions to health disparities in pregnancy outcomes.

Dr. Harris has been involved in significant research projects including the Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Contamination Threats (PROTECT) Program and a pilot grant from the Michigan Center on Lifestage Environmental Exposures and Disease (M-LEEaD) investigating chlorinated hydrocarbons' impact on the placenta. His work often involves collaborations across multiple institutions and disciplines to address complex questions in environmental reproductive health.