UNCW among universities receiving PFAS research instruments

March 27, 2024

WWAY News,

Nc Collaboratory Press Conference — The NC Collaboratory held a press conference at UNCW’s Center Marine Science to announce a gift by Thermo Fisher to NC PFAS researchers. Ralph Mead, a Professor with the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences at UNCW and his laboratory is a recipient. Nearly $5 million in instruments will go to 5 PIs in the PFAS network. PHOTO BY: MICHAEL SPENCER/UNCW

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — UNCW has been equipped with a cutting-edge instrument from the North Carolina Collaboratory and Thermo Fisher Scientific to advance research on the impact of PFAS contamination on the environment and public health.

The North Carolina Collaboratory — an organization dedicated to advancing scientific research for policymaking within North Carolina — announced its partnership with Thermo Fisher Scientific to support PFAS research on Wednesday during a press conference at the UNCW Center for Marine Science.

This new partnership will build on the groundbreaking university research that has provided real-time results to communities across North Carolina and helped identify and implement solutions to address PFAS contamination, according to a press release.

“We are very grateful for this investment in our research, university and community,” said UNCW Chancellor Aswani Volety. “Public-private partnerships like this one harness the power of collaborative research to inform policy decisions and enhance the lives of communities across North Carolina.”

Currently, the network includes researchers from eight campuses—ECU, FSU, NCA&T, NCCU, NCSU, UNC-CH, UNCC, UNCW and Duke—who study PFAS toxicology, their occurrence in drinking water, atmospheric transformations and occurrence, and removal technologies.

As of July 1, 2024, PFAS funding from the NCGA will eclipse $50 million (which includes additional Water Safety Act appropriations in subsequent NCGA budgets). This investment represents the largest legislative funding commitment for PFAS academic research in the nation.