Karen Watanabe

Karen Watanabe is an associate professor in the School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences who develops mathematical models of biological systems to better understand and predict how chemicals in the environment cause adverse effects in living organisms. Prior to joining Arizona State University in 2016, she was a faculty member at Oregon Health & Science University where she taught a variety of graduate courses including Environmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment, and a seminar focused on scientific communication and presentation skills. She received her doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley where she majored in bioengineering and conducted research in collaboration with the School of Public Health to develop a model of benzene toxicokinetics in humans that accounted for measurement uncertainty and biological variability in the population.

Watanabe has received Scientific and Technological Achievement Awards from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for research related to modeling endocrine active chemicals and their effects upon reproduction in the context of ecological risk assessment. She has also participated in national and international workgroups focused on adverse outcome pathways and cancer risk assessment.