Nicole Sparks, MS, PhD

Nicole_Sparks_1

Assistant Professor of Environmental & Occupational Health

Biography

Environmental toxicology researcher, Nicole Renee Sparks, PhD, is an assistant professor at the UCI Program in Public Health in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health.

Research Interests

Sparks focuses on a unique area of research looking at environmental toxicants, such as using and exposure to tobacco products, impact on a fetus' development. Sparks’ lab uses stem cell and animal models to observe how a toxicant can change microRNA and mRNA expression levels that cause an embryonic osteoblast (bone-forming cell) defect.

Current Projects/Studies

NIH/NIEHS 4R00ES032486-03 “Analysis of environmentally-sensitive epigenetic machinery during osteogenic differentiation”

  • The aims of this project are to identify microRNAs that are sensitive to toxicant exposure and how their disruption prompts the risk of skeletal defects. The osteogenic regulation of the toxicant-sensitive miRNAs will be determined using human embryonic stem cell and mouse models.

NIH/NIEHS 1K99ES032486 – 01  “Analysis of environmentally-sensitive epigenetic machinery during osteogenic differentiation”

Education

Sparks holds a doctorate in environmental toxicology from UC Riverside and a masters of science degree in biological sciences from California State University, San Bernardino. During her postdoctoral research at UC Riverside, Sparks’ work on the role of miRNAs as a predictive toxicity biomarker to skeletal defects was funded through NIEHS MOSAIC K99/R00 and UC Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Honors and Awards

  • June 2022, MARTA Braford Award Winner from the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention Annual Meeting
  • February 2022, CSUSB Black History Month Speaker “From Student to Scientist”
  • January 2022, NIEHS Funded Research Highlight: Stories of Success
  • March 2021, FASEB Women’s History Month
  • March 2021, NIEHS Environmental Factor Newsletter – Research and Award Highlight
  • February 2021, Inaugural Celebration of a Scientist at Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention Annual Meeting