Meet EPA Scientist Jennifer Olker, Ph.D.
EPA biologist Dr. Jennifer Olker works in the Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure in the Office of Research and Development. She serves as the research lead on the ECOTOX Knowledgebase; a comprehensive resource providing single chemical environmental toxicity data on aquatic and terrestrial species.
Tell us about your background.
I knew that I wanted to go to an environmental university for undergrad and Northland College was the one that I fell in love with. It’s a liberal arts environmental college and I earned my Bachelor of Science there in biology and math. After graduation, I went into field ecology with birds, moving on to wetland and amphibian ecology at the University of Minnesota in Duluth. I worked in that area as a project manager doing ecology projects for ten years. I decided to get my PhD and pivot into ecotoxicology when the new integrated biosciences program opened at the University of Minnesota. While working towards my PhD, I also raised my toddler and held a part time research position.
For my dissertation research, I did my histopathology at the EPA lab in Duluth, so one of the researchers reached out to me when a postdoc opened in 2015. I began my work at EPA with the thyroid disruption team doing in vivo and in vitro bioassays, and then moved into working on the ECOTOX Knowledgebase.
When did you first know you wanted to work in environmental science?
I loved chemistry class in high school and decided to do environmental chemistry. My friends realized it before I did because they saw my enthusiasm right away. My early interest in environmental chemistry led me into ecology and, eventually, to ecological toxicology.
What do you like most about your job?
What I like most is that what we do in the Office of Research and Development is applied science. We know that our research is needed and goes to directly support the decision making and the mission of the agency. Within months with our work on ECOTOX, I can see broader impacts and results. It is inspiring and rejuvenating to work with EPA researchers and risk assessors that are so passionate about our mission to protect human health and the environment.
How does your science matter?
ECOTOX matters because of how we’re able to support decision making and research through an efficient way to supply curated data. ECOTOX originated in the 1980s and the goal has always been to streamline and help the agency identify toxicity data for decision making using the best available science. ECOTOX provides a wide variety of models for ecosystem health and it’s available for anyone in the world to use.
If you weren’t a scientist, what would you be doing?
I would be catering chocolate truffles. I started making truffles with my mom when I was in high school and once a year my mom and I make about 800 truffles. It’s a lot of fun and they’re delicious, though it’s an unfortunately somewhat seasonal practice. I’ve also been growing my own native flowers and plants, so I think I would have to keep a plant store on the side to even that out.
What advice would you give a student interested in a career in science?
If you’re interested in science, take a variety of science classes and don’t be afraid to explore outside of your exact wheelhouse. You never know what will fit your interests and skillset until you try things out. A career in science is rarely a straight path, we often take lots of different positions doing lots of different work. Try it out!
If you can have any superpower, what would you choose?
I would choose teleportation because I have a lot of places that I would like to visit, including places I’ve been before but can’t easily go back to due to time and distances. I grew up in southern Arizona and my family is still there; up in Duluth, I am very far away, so the ability to teleport for a quick visit would come in handy.
What do you think the coolest scientific discovery was and why?
I love scientific discoveries that are in development because I can observe their progress in real time. In grad school, I took microbial ecology and learned about sub-glacial lakes in Antarctica. The biggest, Lake Vostok, is under 4000m of ice and has been undisturbed for 15 million years. A possible microbial community was found living in this lake in 2013. In 2020, they found DNA evidence of fish living in that lake. This environment has extremely high levels of oxygen and is incredibly cold, so if there are fish there, they likely have the ability to freeze and remain alive. This ability to freeze without damage to tissues or cells has also been documented in the wood frog, which is the only amphibian that is found in Alaska. Humankind could benefit a lot from learning more about this phenomenon from the natural world and I love to see the science develop!
If you could have dinner with any scientist, past or present, who would you choose and what would you talk about?
Aldo Leopold; he is considered a visionary conservationist. He’s mostly known for his nature writing and I was introduced to him through my mom, who gave me her well-worn copy of “A Sand County Almanac” when I moved to Wisconsin for college. Aldo Leopold wrote about the ecological preservation of land in Wisconsin and elsewhere around the United States, with an emphasis on the interconnectedness of people and the land they live in. I would ask him about his inspiration and if he knew how much of an impact he would have on wildlife preservation, environmental ethics, and peoples’ connection to nature.
What do you think is our biggest scientific challenge in the next 20/50/100 years?
The biggest challenge now and moving into the future is how to merge and combine the evidence of science with the needs of society. There are so many chemicals that have clear uses that benefit society, and the benefits to society may outweigh the negatives.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed herein are those of the researcher alone. EPA does not endorse the opinions or positions expressed.