Ethell Vereen, Ph.D., is highly motivated by a broad interest in environmental health, water quality, and environmental microbiology. He is an assistant professor in the Department of Biology, at Morehouse College (Atlanta, GA), one of the nation’s leading Historical Black Colleges and Universities; and the nation’s largest, private liberal arts college for men.

Ethell’s current research focuses on the ecology of waterborne diseases, with an emphasis on water quality. “My work on water quality is focused on understanding the sources, transformation, transport, and ecology of waterborne pathogens—specifically, Salmonella and Campylobacter, as well as fecal indicator organisms. I am also interested in exploring undergraduate STEM education and pedagogy, with an emphasis on Pan-African and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in the sciences.”

Ethell was also recently awarded a $300,000 Research Initiation Award from the National Science Foundation for his project, “Metagenomic Approach to Assess Water Quality and Microbial Load Variability of an Urban Watershed,” which is expected to increase the research capacity at Morehouse College and provide additional training opportunities for the College’s STEM students. 

Ethell earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from South Carolina State University, a master’s degree in environmental health at the University of Georgia College of Public Health, and a doctorate in ecology from the University of Georgia. He was also a FIRST (Fellowships in Research and Science Teaching) Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Health at the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health. He joined the ELP board of directors in 2020.