HDC SETAC Board of Directors 2023 Election Results
Board Members
Thivanka Ariyarathna, Ph.D., Rowan University
Dr. Ariyarathna is an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Science at Rowan University and holds a Ph.D. in Oceanography from the University of Connecticut. She completed her undergraduate degree in Geology from the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka where she was born. She is excited and committed to serving as a board member in the HDC SETAC based on her continuous involvement with SETAC for the past 11 years. She has published three peer-reviewed articles in SETAC journal, and her research focuses on origin, distribution, fate, and transport of environmental pollutants in different aquatic environments from small freshwater tributaries to coastal marine ecosystems. She evaluates natural and bio-stimulated removal of pollutants from aquatic systems via adsorption onto sediment and microbial degradation. Moreover, Dr. Ariyarathna’s research interests align with bioaccumulation of pollutants in ecosystem food web structure, and she utilizes stable isotopes as a tool for her research. She admires teamwork and her Ph.D. project was awarded with “Project of the Year Award for Environmental Restoration” from SERDP (Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program) in 2016. After she started her position at Rowan university in Fall, 2022, Dr. Ariyarathna received two grants from South Jersey Institute of Population Health and NJ water Research Resources institute to conduct research on heavy metals in Camden, NJ and PFAS in Atlantic Reservoir in South Jersey, respectively. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, and time with friends and family.
Sean Bugel, Ph.D., U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
I am an environmental toxicologist with 15+ years of experience in the fields of environmental science and toxicology. My professional interests generally center on the adverse developmental and reproductive effects of environmental contaminants and their mechanisms of toxicity. I have extensive experience working with contaminant issues in New Jersey, particularly the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary. Presently, I am a Toxicologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the NJ Field Office Environmental Response and Restoration group. I am the USFWS Case Manager for the Natural Resource Damage Assessments in New Jersey, and I oversee injury assessment and restoration on several cases such as the Diamond Alkali and Berry’s Creek Superfund Sites. I received my B.S. in Biology from Seton Hall University in 2005, and my M.S./Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology from Rutgers University in 2011. I previously worked at Oregon State University in the Department of Molecular and Environmental Toxicology as a Postdoctoral Fellow and Sr. Research Assistant Professor (2011-2020). I also currently teach an Environmental Toxicology course at Rutgers University for the Department of Environmental Sciences. In the past, I had the honor of serving as the student representative on the Board of Directors for HDC-SETAC between 2006 and 2009. Given my excitement to return to the region, I am eager to reconnect with HDC-SETAC and contribute as a member of the Board of Directors. My main goal is to drive the growth of HDC-SETAC while fostering increased student engagement throughout the region.