CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Barbara D. Beck, Ph.D., DABT, FATS, a Principal of Gradient Corp., is president-elect of the Academy of Toxicological Sciences, the leading international organization for the certification of toxicologists.

Academy fellows are chosen based on education, professional experience, demonstrated achievement, proven ability and scientific expertise.  Beck is an expert in toxicology and in health risk assessment for environmental chemicals, especially metals and air pollutants.

Beck directs Gradient's toxicology and risk assessment practice.  She has performed site-specific risk assessments, developed methodologies for assessing exposure and risk and has presented to different audiences, including regulatory agencies, the U.S. Congress and the public.  The author of more than 50 book chapters and journal articles on toxicology and health risk assessment for environmental chemicals, she is often called as an expert in cases involving chemicals and human health.

Beck received an AB in Biology from Bryn Mawr College and completed her doctoral program in Molecular Biology and Microbiology at Tufts University.  She is a diplomat of the American Board of Toxicology.  Before joining Gradient, she was Chief of Air Toxics Staff in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region I.  Before that, she was a fellow in the Interdisciplinary Programs in Health at the Harvard School of Public Health and is, at present, a lecturer in toxicology at Harvard.  Beck has been a fellow of the academy for six years and is also a registered toxicologist with the European Society of Toxicology.

Gradient Corp. is an environmental and risk science consulting firm with more than 20 years of expertise in toxicology, risk assessment, product safety, contaminant fate and transport and environmental chemistry.  From offices in Cambridge, Mass., and Seattle, Gradient helps national and international companies address their most complex environmental and health-related matters.