Gordon J. Getzinger, PhD
Assistant Professor
Gordon Getzinger is an environmental chemist studying the occurrence and fate of anthropogenic chemicals in natural and engineered systems. Before joining the SES faculty in 2023, he was a research scientist at leveraging wastewater-based epidemiology to address the opioid epidemic, a consultant at supporting environmental forensic investigations and chemical fate assessments, and a research scientist with the . Additionally, he has held adjunct/lecturer appointments in the Chemistry Department at Tufts University and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT. He completed his post-doctoral training with the and his PhD with at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University.
Education
- PhD, Environment, Duke University, 2016
- BS, Environmental Science, Loyola University Chicago, 2010
- BA, Chemistry, Loyola University Chicago, 2010
Research Interests
Getzinger is interested in understanding the environmental occurrence and fate of anthropogenic chemicals. In particular, he studies the sources, distribution, and (bio)chemical transformations of organic pollutants in the natural and built aquatic environment. He develops analytical chemistry tools to detect trace-level contaminants in environmental media and applies those techniques to laboratory and field studies. His goal is to develop mechanistic insights into contaminant fate processes that inform policies and technologies that protect human and ecological health.
Specialty Area
Environmental Chemistry
Courses Taught
- ENVS 274: Chemistry of the Environment
- ENVS 275: Chemistry of the Environment Lab
- ENVS 387: Principles of Ecotoxicology
Publications/Research Listings
Getzinger, G. J.; Duffee, L. H. Chemical Identification and Environmental Fate of Fluorescein during Celebratory Surface Water Dyeing: A Field Evaluation in the Chicago River. Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett. 2026.
Lin, Z.-W.; Kim, S.; Dyakiv, Y.; Gedangoni, E. F. P.; Packman, A. I.; Helbling, D. E.; Getzinger, G. J.; Dichtel, W. R. A Macroporous Cyclodextrin Monolith for Continuous Removal of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances from Water. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147 (37), 33761–33769.
Getzinger, G. J.; Marks, B. D. Building Collision Fatalities for Monitoring Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances (PFAS) in Wild Bird Populations. Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett. 2025, 12 (9), 1232–1237.
Muir, D. C. G.; Getzinger, G. J.; McBride, M.; Ferguson, P. L. How Many Chemicals in Commerce Have Been Analyzed in Environmental Media A 50 Year Bibliometric Analysis. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2023, 57 (25), 9119–9129.
Getzinger, G. J.; Higgins, C. P.; Ferguson, P. L. Structure Database and In Silico Spectral Library for Comprehensive Suspect Screening of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) in Environmental Media by High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry. Anal. Chem. 2021, 93, 2820–2827.
Getzinger, G. J.; Ferguson, P. L. High-Throughput Trace-Level Suspect Screening for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Environmental Waters by Peak-Focusing Online Solid Phase Extraction and High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry. ACS ES&T Water 2021, 1, 1240–1251.
Getzinger, G. J.; Ferguson, P. L. Illuminating the Exposome with High-Resolution Accurate-Mass Mass Spectrometry and Nontargeted Analysis. Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health 2020, 15, 49–56.
