He is an environmental analytical chemist who joined Duke in 2009 after six years as an assistant professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of South Carolina. Research in the Ferguson laboratory is focused on development of novel methods for trace analysis of organic and nanoparticulate contaminants in the aquatic environment. The analytical methods developed in the Ferguson laboratory are applied to both process-oriented environmental chemistry experiments in the field and laboratory as well as to toxicity bioassays, including whole-organism assays and molecular endpoints. The overarching goal is to gain an increased understanding of how emerging contaminants are transported, transformed and induce deleterious effects within aquatic ecosystems.