Trevor N. Brown
Research Associate
 FULL CV

ResearchGate | GitHub | ScholarGPS

Dr. Trevor Brown obtained his B.Sc. in Environmental Chemistry at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) in Kamloops, B.C., Canada and obtained his Ph.D. in Environmental Chemistry at the University of Toronto (U of T). After his Ph.D. he was a Postdoc at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in Leipzig, Germany, where he did research in the Analytical Environmental Chemistry group. He was then a Postdoc at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. More recently he worked for three years as a physical scientist with the Centre for Offshore Oil, Gas and Energy Research (COOGER) where he worked on modelling oil properties and the chemistry of oil spills in coastal marine environments. During his Ph.D., Postdoc and employment he has worked closely with analytical chemists, which gives him a unique perspective focused on the quality and reliability of the data he uses in his work developing Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships (QSARs).


Dr. Brown has more than 15 years of experience developing and applying QSARs, publishing his first QSAR in 2006. Since 2010 he has been collaborating closely with Dr. Jon Arnot and Arnot Research and Consulting (ARC) developing the IFSQSAR package which predicts chemical properties related to chemical risk assessment. The IFSQSAR package is integrated into the Exposure And Safety Estimation (EAS-E) Suite platform (www.eas-e-suite.com) which provides key information for models and tools within the platform. Two particularly important contributions to the field are screening-level QSARs for biotransformation rates in fish and in humans. Dr. Brown is also a leading expert on Poly-Parameter Linear Free Energy Relationships (PPLFERs) which have been integrated into IFSQSAR to provide mechanistically based predictions for chemical partitioning properties. 


PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Contract Researcher
ARC Arnot Research and Consulting - Halifax NS, Canada2019-Present

Subcontractor and collaborator


Physical Scientist
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Centre for Offshore Oil, Gas and Energy Research, Halifax NS, Canada2016-2019
  • Supervisor: Thomas King
  • Created prediction methods for the chemical properties of oil components
  • Provided scientific advice and assistance to projects undertaken by the group
  • Assisted with the writing of scientific reports
  • Assisted with administrative tasks


Contract Researcher | Halifax NS, Canada
ARC Arnot Research and Consulting Co2012-2016
  • Subcontractor and collaborator
  • Co-applicant or project team member on several funded grant applications
  • Main role was creating prediction methods for chemical properties (QSARs)
  • Advised and assisted with dataset selection and quality control
  • Undertook other scientific activities such as manuscript writing


Postdoc Department of Chemistry
Dalhousie University - Halifax NS, Canada2014-2015

Supervisor: Russell Boyd Manuscript writing


Postdoc Department of Analytical Environmental Chemistry
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) - Leipzig, Germany2011-2014
  • Supervisor: Kai-Uwe Goss
  • Created prediction methods for chemical properties (QSARs)
  • Modelling and prediction of chemical distribution and clearance processes in humans
  • Advising and collaborating on various internal UFZ research projects
  • Co-supervising a Ph.D. student modelling fish embryo chemical exposure


Graduate Student Researcher - Department of Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry
University of Toronto - Toronto ON, Canada2006-2011
  • Supervisor: Frank Wania
  • Designed, created and modified mass balance chemical environmental fate models
  • Screened datasets for chemical hazard by applying modelling and chemoinformatics tools
  • Developed a method for creating predictive models of chemical properties (QSARs)
  • Assisted other students with lab work, field work and chemical fate modelling


Teaching Assistant
University of Toronto Scarborough - Toronto ON, Canada2007-2010
  • Assisted with graduate level class on chemical fate modelling, graded assignments and exams
  • Demonstrated first year chemistry laboratories and graded lab reports


Student Researcher
Thompson Rivers University - Kamloops BC, Canada2005-2006
  • Performed quantum chemistry calculations with commercial software
  • Undertook other research related tasks such as coding and writing manuscripts


Analytical Chemist
ALS Environmental - Vancouver BC, Canada2004
  • Performed sample extraction and clean-up of air, water and soil samples
  • Analyzed samples for total petroleum hydrocarbons using GC-FID


PEER REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

Brown T.N., Armitage J.M., Sangion A., Arnot J.A.; Improved prediction of PFAS partitioning with PPLFERs and QSPRs. Environ. Sci.: Process. Impacts, 2024, In Press.

Brown T.N., Sangion A., Arnot J.A.; Identifying uncertainty in physical–chemical property estimation with IFSQSAR. J. Cheminform., 2024, 16, 65.

Zhang Z., Sangion A., Wang S., Gouin T., Brown T.N., Arnot J.A., Li L.; Chemical Space Covered by Applicability Domains of Quantitative Structure–Property Relationships and Semiempirical Relationships in Chemical Assessments. Environmental Science & Technology, 2024, 58 (7), 3386-3398.

Zhang Z., Wang S., Brown T.N., Sangion A., Arnot J.A., Li L.; Modeling sorption of environmental organic chemicals from water to soils. Water Research X, 2024, 22, 100219.

Celsie A.K.D., Parnis J.M., Brown T.N.; Metrics for estimating vapour pressure deviation from ideality in binary mixtures. SAR and QSAR in Environmental Research, 2023, 34 (11), 943-961.

Zhang Z., Sangion A., S Wang, Gouin T., Brown T.N., Arnot J.A., Li L.; Hazard vs. exposure: Does it make a difference in identifying chemicals with persistence and mobility concerns? Water Research, 2023, 245, 120610.

Ding Y., Hayward S.J., Westgate J.N., Brown T.N., Lei Y.D., Wania F.; Legacy and current-use pesticides in Western Canadian mountain air: Influence of pesticide sales, source proximity, and altitude. Atmospheric Environment, 2023, 308, 119882.

Arnot J.A., Toose L., Armitage J.M., Sangion A., Looky A., Brown T.N., Li L., Becker R.A.; Developing an internal threshold of toxicological concern (iTTC). Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, 2022, 32 (6), 877-884.

Brown T.N.; QSPRs for predicting equilibrium partitioning in solvent–air systems from the chemical structures of solutes and solvents. Journal of Solution Chemistry, 2022, 51 (9), 1101-1132

Brown T.N.; Empirical regressions between system parameters and solute descriptors of polyparameter linear free energy relationships (PPLFERs) for predicting solvent-air partitioning. Fluid Phase Equilibria, 2021, 540, 113035.

Brown T.N., Armitage J.M., Arnot J.A.; Application of an iterative fragment selection (IFS) method to estimate entropies of fusion and melting points of organic chemicals. Mol. Inform., 2019, 38, 1800160.

Hussain B.A., Westgate J.N., Hayward S.J., Shunthirasingham C., Brown T.N., Hung H., Lei Y.D., Wania F.; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls in soils and atmosphere of Western Canadian mountains: The role of source proximity, precipitation, forest cover and mountain cold-trapping. Atmosph. Environ. X, 2018, 1, 100004.

Undeman E., Brown T.N., McLachlan M.S., Wania F.; Who in the world is most exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls? Using models to identify highly exposed populations. Environ. Res. Lett., 2018, 13, 064036.

Larisch W., Brown T.N., Goss K.U.; A toxicokinetic model for fish including multiphase sorption features. Environ. Toxicol. Chem., 2017, 36, 1538-1546.

Arp H.P.H., Brown T.N., Berger U., Hale S.E.; Ranking REACH registered neutral, ionizable and ionic organic chemicals based on their aquatic persistency and mobility. Environ. Sci. Proc. Imp., 2017, 19, 939-955.

Chen Y., Hermens J.L.M., Jonker M.T.O., Arnot J.A., Armitage J.M., Brown T.N., Nichols J.W., Fay K.A., Droge S.T.J.; Which molecular features affect the intrinsic hepatic clearance rate of ionizable organic chemicals in fish? Environ. Sci. Technol., 2016, 50, 12722-12731.

Brown T.N., Armitage J.M., Egeghy P., Kircanski I., Arnot J.A.; Dermal permeation data and models for the prioritization and screening-level exposure assessment of organic chemicals. Environ. Int., 2016, 94, 424-435.

McLachlan M.S., Kierkegaard A., Radke M., Sobek A., Malmvärn A., Alsberg T., Arnot J.A., Brown T.N., Wania F., Breivik K., Xu S.; Using model-based screening to help discover known environmental contaminants. Environ. Sci. Technol., 2014, 48, 7264-7271.

Arnot J.A., Brown T.N., Wania F.; Estimating screening-level organic chemical half-lives in humans. Environ. Sci. Technol., 2014, 48, 723-730.

Brown T.N.; Predicting hexadecane-air equilibrium partition coefficients (L) with a group contribution approach constructed from high-quality data. SAR QSAR Environ. Res., 2014, 25, 51-71.

Zhang X., Brown T.N., Ansari A., Yeun B., Kitaoka K., Kondo A., Lei Y.D., Wania F.; Effect of wind on the chemical uptake kinetics of a passive air sampler. Environ. Sci. Technol., 2013, 47, 7868-7875.

Endo S., Brown T.N., Goss K.-U.; General model for estimating partition coefficients to organisms and their tissues using the biological compositions and polyparameter linear free energy relationships. Environ. Sci. Technol., 2013, 47, 6630-6639.

Goss K.-U., Brown T.N., and Endo S.; Elimination half-life as a metric for the bioaccumulation potential of chemicals in aquatic and terrestrial food chains. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2013, 32, 1663-1671.

Armitage J.M., Choi S.-D., Meyer T., Brown T.N., Wania F.; Exploring the role of shelf sediments in the Arctic Ocean in determining the Arctic contamination potential of neutral organic contaminants. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2013, 47, 923-931.

Arnot J.A., Brown T.N., Wania F., Breivik K., McLachlan M.S.; Prioritizing Chemicals and Data Requirements for Screening-Level Exposure and Risk Assessment. Environ. Health Perspect. 2012, 120, 1565-1570.

Brown T.N., Arnot J.A., and Wania F.; Iterative Fragment Selection: A Group Contribution Approach to Predicting Fish Biotransformation Half-Lives. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2012, 46, 8253-8260.

Breivik K., Arnot J.A., Brown T.N., McLachlan M.S., Wania F.; Screening organic chemicals in commerce for emissions in the context of environmental and human exposure. J. Environ. Monit., 2012, 14, 2028-2037.

Undeman E., Brown T.N., Wania F., McLachlan M.S.; The Susceptibility of Human Populations to Environmental Exposure to Organic Contaminants. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2010, 44, 6249-6255.

Zhang X., Brown T.N., Wania F., Heimstad E.S., Goss K.-U.; Assessment of Chemical Screening Outcomes Based on Different Partitioning Property Estimation Methods. Environ. Int. 2010, 36, 514-520.

Brown T.N. and Wania F.; Development and Exploration of an Organic Contaminant Fate Model Using Poly-Parameter Linear Free Energy Relationships. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2009, 43, 6676-6683.

Brown T.N. and Wania F.; Screening Chemicals for the Potential to be Persistent Organic Pollutants: A Case Study of Arctic Contaminants. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2008, 42, 5202-5209.

Brown T.N. and Mora-Diez N.; Computational determination of aqueous pKa values of protonated benzimidazoles (part 1). J. Phys. Chem. B 2006, 110, 9270-9279.

Brown T.N. and Mora-Diez N.; Computational determination of aqueous pKa values of protonated benzimidazoles (part 2). J. Phys. Chem. B 2006, 110, 20546-20554.

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Ulrich N., Endo S., Brown T.N., Watanabe N., Bronner G., Abraham M.H., Goss K.-U.; UFZ-LSER database v 3.2.1 [Internet], Leipzig, Germany, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, 2017, Available from http://www.ufz.de/lserd.

EDUCATION
Ph. D. Environmental Chemistry
University of Toronto, Department of Chemistry - Toronto ON, Canada2006-2011

Supervisor: Frank Wania

Thesis Title: Automated Methods in Chemical Risk Assessment


B.Sc. Major in Environmental Chemistry, Co-operative Education Endorsement
Thompson Rivers University - Kamloops BC, Canada2001-2006

Student research supervisor: Nelaine Mora-Diez