In the Mazzer lab, we are interested in the toxicity of complex organic mixtures in the environment—we use advanced analytical or bioanalytical tools to study how these mixtures change in the environment and in living systems, and how they adversely impact living systems. Most of our research focuses on condensed aromatics—from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to amorphous black carbon to highly-organized carbon nanoparticles. We want to understand how these compounds are changed by passage through the environment, and how that passage changes the effect they have on living systems—primarily on humans. These overarching goals have led us to work on several interrelated projects.