Dr. Jayasundara is Assistant Professor at The School of Marine Sciences and The Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, University of Maine, Orono.

Evaluating human health and ecosystem level impacts of chronic exposure to chemical mixtures is a critical challenge in environmental toxicology. Key insights into mechanisms and effects of exposure to chemical mixtures can be gained from examining organisms that succeed in inhabiting contaminated environments by adaptively modifying a common set of physiological and biochemical processes. In this context Dr. Jayasundara examines fish populations living in contaminated aquatic ecosystems, with a focus on bioenergetics and mitochondria to identify mitochondrial markers that can serve as indicators of chronic exposure to low levels of chemical mixtures. To this end, ongoing research is focused on studying fish populations in regions affected by a mysterious kidney disease in rural farming communities in South Asia to evaluate the role of chemical mixtures in underlying this disease.