PFAS-Related Academic Collaborations

DEEP is committed to support PFAS-related research in Connecticut.  Informal partnerships exist with several Connecticut academic institutions to support PFAS-themed research proposals and to provide students with PFAS-focused career development opportunities. 

Research Partnerships
Undergraduate Internships, Honors Theses, and Senior Design Projects
Graduate Student Internships and Research Support
Post-Doctoral Fellowships

Research Partnerships

Connecticut is home to numerous academic research institutions, several of which are engaged in PFAS research.  Notably, DEEP has ongoing partnerships with the University of Connecticut and with Yale University to support PFAS-related research initiatives. To learn more about the efforts of these universities, please visit the links below. 

University of Connecticut PFAS-Related Research

• Quantification of PFAS in Oyster Tissue Using a Rapid QuEChERS Extraction Followed by UPLC-MS/MS Analysis
• Contaminant Threats to Groundwater-Supplied Ecosystem Services in the Farmington River Watershed
• Analyzing Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Foods
• Analysis of PFAS in Locally Acquired Food Containers
• Assessment of PFAS Food Web Uptake in Priority Shellfish Areas: The Roles of Nutrient Status and Trophic Transfer
• Assessment and uptake of PFAS in shellfish and fish from coastal areas associated with Tweed-New Haven Airport
• Assessing temperature mediation of PFAS impacts on coastal fish fitness to inform environmental management  

Yale University PFAS-Related Research

• Understanding and Enhancing PFAS Phytoremediation Mechanisms Using Novel Nanomaterials

• Assessing Extraction-Analysis Methodology to Detect Fluorotelomer Alcohols (FTOH), a class of PFAS, in Artificial Turf Fibers and Crumb Rubber Infill

• Non-Targeted PFAs Analysis

Undergraduate Internships, Honors Theses, and Senior Design Projects

DEEP believes in engaging students in Agency work as a means of fostering the next generation of environmental advocates and professionals. DEEP coordinates a college internship program open to students with junior-level standing or higher.  Through this program, the Agency provides undergraduate students with hands-on opportunities to assist with Agency PFAS initiatives. Interested students are encouraged to apply. 

• Poster: PFAS in Select Connecticut Fish Tissue Samples (Amanda Ohlson, Fall 2023)
• Poster: Summary of Weston & Sampson 2021-2022 Water Pollution Control Facility PFAS Sampling Effort (Sarah DeSanto, Summer 2023)

Similarly, DEEP staff may be available to serve as a sponsor or mentor for undergraduate honors theses and senior design projects.  To-date, the Agency has supported several PFAS-related projects through the University of Connecticut Engineering Department Undergraduate Senior Design Program, including:

• Determining Background Concentrations of PFAS in Connecticut Soils (2022) (Grace Pagano, Gregory Roberts, Travis Molnar, Julia Jackson)
  • Final Project Design and Summary Report
  • Final Poster Presentation
  • Final Oral Presentation
• Evaluation of In-Situ Technologies To Remediate and Sequester PFAS in Soil (2022)
• Determination of PFAS Presence In, and Leachability From, Artificial Turf (2022)

If you are an undergraduate student interested in interning with DEEP or seeking mentor support for a PFAS-related thesis or senior design project, please contact the PFAS Lead for more information: DEEP.PFAS@ct.gov. 

Graduate Student Internships and Research Support

The DEEP College Internship Program is open to graduate-level students as well.  Since the release of the PFAS Action Plan, DEEP has served as the site of several PFAS-related internships for Master's Degree program candidates. Final products from these internships are available below. 

• PFAS in Connecticut StoryMap - Normandy Avery, UConn M.S. Candidate 2023 (DEEP Remediation Division Intern)
• PFAS Transfer in CT Aquatic Ecosystems - Alison Baranovic, UConn M.S. 2022 (DEEP Water Planning and Management Division Intern)

Graduate students are required to formally apply to participate in the DEEP College Internship Program.  However, if you are a graduate student interested in pursuing a PFAS-related internship at DEEP, you are encouraged to first contact the PFAS Lead at DEEP.PFAS@ct.gov to discuss your interests. Based on this information, the Lead will put you in touch with the DEEP unit most closely aligned with your interests to discuss potential project ideas and to insure, before applying, that staff are available to mentor you during the desired semester. 

Post-Doctoral Fellowships

DEEP welcomes the opportunity to work with post-doctoral fellows as well. In 2019, DEEP hosted the first Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering (CASE) Science and Technology Policy Fellowship.  Dr. Anna Hagstrom, a graduate of Yale University, was selected as the inaugural Fellow and spent two years working with DEEP on PFAS matters. Dr. Hagstrom was integral to the development of the Connecticut PFAS Action Plan, and the organization of a 2019 symposium highlighting challenges and opportunities related to PFAS science and regulation.  To learn more about current opportunities, interested individuals are encouraged to contact CASE directly.

• "Yale School of Public Health Symposium: An overview of the challenges and opportunities associated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)" - Anna Hagstrom, et. al. 2021. (Journal article published in Science of the Total Environment)

Contact Information

Questions or comments regarding PFAS research collaboration or PFAS-related student opportunities at CT DEEP can be sent to DEEP.PFAS@ct.gov.

Related DEEP Webpages

• PFAS Main Page
• PFAS Education, Outreach and Communication
• DEEP College Internship Program

Content last updated February 1, 2024.