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Austin Gray

Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences
Austin Gray
Office: 3002 Derring Hall
Lab: 3005 Derring Hall
926 West Campus Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24061-0406
austindg@vt.edu
(540) 231-1079

Major Field of Interest

Aquatic toxicology, aquatic ecology, analytical chemistry, Ecosystem contaminants 

Research Interest

My research priorities are focused on addressing questions related to environmental toxicology, primarily using physiological and ecological approaches to examine the impacts of legacy and emerging contaminants (PAHs, POPs, microplastics, nanoplastics, and pharmaceuticals) from anthropogenic influence and assessing their risk to a variety of freshwater and marine organisms.

  • Postdoctoral Research Fellow (2020-2020). The impact of common stream antibiotics on nitrogen and carbon cycling processes. Duke University, Durham, NC. Supervisor: Emily Bernhardt
  • Ph.D., Environmental Health Sciences, University of North Carolina at Greensboro (2020). Advisor: Dr. Anne Hershey. Dissertation: The Presence, Bioavailability, and Impact of Antibiotics in Rural and Urban Streams of North Carolina 
  • M.A., Biology, The Citadel Graduate College (2014) Advisor: Dr. John Weinstein
  • B.S., Health, Exercise, and Sports Science, The Citadel, Military College of South Carolina (2013), Charleston, SC 
  • 2021: SETAC North America Eugene Kenaga Membership Award
  • 2021: SETAC North America Recent Graduate Grant
  • 2021: Virginia Tech Sendlebeck Diversity Fellow
  • 2020: Virginia Tech Future Faculty for Diversity Program Scholar
  • 2019: SETAC STEO Award: Visiting Scholar appointment at Duke University 
  • 2019: Natural, Physical, and Mathematical Sciences award at the 2019 UNCG Graduate Research Expo
  • 2019: SETAC North America: Presidential Citation for Exemplary Service
  • 2018: Distinguished Dr. Steve J. Klaine Presentation Award at CSETAC Annual Meeting 
  • 2018: SETAC North America: Presidential Citation for Exemplary Service
  • 2017: Recipient of the NC Sea Grant/WRRI Graduate Research Fellowship
  • 2017: Recipient of the John O’Brien Field Research Award 

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