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Wednesday, February 18, 2026

12:00pm ET / 17:00 UTC

FEATURING
Russell Thomas, Ph.D., Vice President and Executive Director of UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights
Katie Paul Friedman, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Chemical Informatics & Screening

Stephen Edwards, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Scientific Computing & Data Management

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This first webinar in a four-part “Chemical Safety for Individual and Community Health” series, moderated by Russell Thomas, Ph.D., will introduce the expanded capabilities of UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. Though there are thousands of chemicals and mixtures available on the market, traditional toxicity and exposure data exist for only a small fraction of them. Two new Research Centers within Chemical Insights are working to fill this gap:

The Center for Scientific Computing & Data Management, led by Stephen Edwards, Ph.D.

These research teams will develop new approach methods (NAMs)-based solutions to rapidly assess thousands of data-poor chemicals in the environment and work to make high-quality data and decision-making tools available for researchers, stakeholders, and the public.

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ABOUT THE PRESENTERS

Russell Thomas, Ph.D., has over two decades of experience in computational toxicology and environmental health research. Thomas leads Chemical Insights’ research teams and spearheads the strategy driving Chemical Insights to be the leader in reducing or eliminating adverse human health impacts of chemical pollution in the environment and everyday life. 

Katie Paul Friedman, Ph.D., is the director of the Center for Informatics & Screening at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. She focuses on using computational and experimental new approach methods to understand the biological effects and health outcomes of chemical exposures.
Prior to her current role, Paul Friedman held scientific leadership positions at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, including working as a division director and computational toxicologist. She was instrumental in promoting new approach methods for pesticides and chemicals, leading the ToxCast program and developing data and open source tools for chemical assessment. Her work significantly advanced the use of innovative assessment approaches. Before the EPA, she was a regulatory toxicologist at Bayer CropScience.

Paul Friedman earned her Ph.D. in Toxicology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Virginia Tech, with minors in Chemistry and Environmental Policy and Planning.

Stephen Edwards, Ph.D., is the Director of the Center for Scientific Computing & Data Management. With over 30 years of experience in pharmacology and toxicology across academia, government, and industry, Edwards oversees efforts to integrate and disseminate data generated or curated by Chemical Insights.  Results for those efforts will drive Chemical Insights’ dissemination activities where we provide public access to the underlying data alongside web applications that leverage these data to support public health decisions.

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