Austin Gray
Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences

Office: 3002 Derring Hall
Lab: 3005 Derring Hall
926 West Campus Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24061-0406
Lab: 3005 Derring Hall
926 West Campus Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24061-0406
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
Recent Media and News
- Eugene Kenaga SETAC Membership Award, December 7th, 2021
- GCC Undergraduate Research Grants awarded to eight students for 2021-2022, November 23rd, 2021
- Spotlight Series: New Research or Teaching Faculty Experience During COVID, October 19th, 2021
- Three new faculty affiliates join the Global Change Center in spring 2021, May 31st, 2021
- How to take the lead in your career, March 29th, 2021,
- Breaking Systemic Barriers: Being Black in the Aquatic Sciences and Related Fields, February 24th, 2021
- When I Envisioned a Black Male Environmental Scientist, I Could Only See Myself…, July 29th, 2020