Summary
Yeongkwon Son is an associate professor in the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Environmental Health at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Public Health. His research focuses on environmental health and exposure science, with the goal of understanding how environmental contaminants and complex chemical mixtures contribute to human exposure and health outcomes.
His laboratory develops and applies analytical methods to measure contaminants in environmental and biological samples. His current research includes biomonitoring and chemical analysis of emerging contaminants, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS, flame retardants and microplastics. He also studies airborne pollutants, including wildfire smoke and household air pollutants, using mass spectrometry to improve exposure assessments.
Son’s research also integrates environmental monitoring, low-cost sensor networks, satellite remote sensing and machine learning and artificial intelligence to characterize population exposure to environmental hazards. Current applications include wildfire smoke, extreme heat and air pollution, with an emphasis on improving exposure estimates and supporting environmental health research.
Selected publications
2026
- Li, Y., Dina, O., Fu, Y., Son, Y., Hurbain, P., Li, D., & Li, L. (2026). A Multitracer Reconciliation Approach for Estimating Child-Specific Dust and Soil Ingestion Rates. Environmental Science & Technology, 60 (25), 17574-17585.
- Pena-Bello, C.A., Batalha, I.M., Archilia, E.C., Son, Y., Martinez, T.A., Mayor, N., Bennett, N., Spicer, L.J. & Schütz, L. F. (2026). Diisobutyl phthalate alters estradiol synthesis and expression of genes associated with epigenetic regulation and inflammation in bovine granulosa cells. Biology of Reproduction, 114(6), 1937-1948.
2025
- VanderMolen, K., Son, Y., Foster, T., Hamburger, A., & Tardy, A. (2025). Capacity building for community heat risk education: Insights from San Diego County, California, peer-trainers. Climate Risk Management, 100774.
- Son, Y., Carranza, C., Subramhanya, S., Gardner, C., Black, K., Jones, L., Meng, Q., Torres, M., Vargas, A., Zhang, J., Neill, M., Strickland, P., & Schwander, S. (2025). Correlations between human alveolar macrophage particulate matter load, air pollution particulate matter levels, and systemic inflammation markers in Mexico City. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 29903.
- Martinez, B., Son, Y., & Khlystov, A. (2025). Evaluation of carbonyl collection methods in electronic cigarette aerosols. Frontiers in Chemistry, 13, 1694858.
2023
- Nguyen, P., Son, Y., Petereit, J., Khlystov, A., and Panella, R. (2023). Modeling human lung cells exposure to wildfire uncovers aberrant incRNAs signature. Biomolecules, 13 (1), 155.
2021
- Son, Y. and Khlystov, A. (2021). An automated aerosol collection and extraction system to characterize electronic cigarette aerosols. Frontiers in Chemistry, 9:764730.
2020
- Son, Y., Weisel, C., Wackowski, O., Schwander, S., Delnevo, C., & Meng, Q. (2020). The impact of device settings, use patterns, and flavorings on carbonyl emissions from electronic cigarettes. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(16), 5650.
- Son, Y., Giovenco, D. P., Delnevo, C., Khlystov, A., Samburova, V., & Meng, Q. (2020). Indoor air quality and passive E-cigarette aerosol exposures in vape-shops. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, ntaa094.
2019
- Son, Y., Mainelis, G., Delnevo, C., Wackowski, O. A., Schwander, S., & Meng, Q. (2019). Investigating E-cigarette particle emissions and human airway depositions under various E-cigarette-use conditions. Chemical Research in Toxicology, 33(2), 343-352.
Education
- Ph.D. in Environmental Health from the Rutgers University, New Jersey,
- Ph.D. in Environmental Science from the Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea
- B.S. in Rural Engineering from the Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea