Kathrin Schilling is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and an Associate Member of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her research sits at the intersection of environmental science, analytical chemistry, and public health, with a particular focus on how exposure to metals and trace elements affects human health, and on supporting evidence-based efforts to reduce exposure risks in daily life. Trained as an environmental geochemist in Germany and the United States, she brings over a decade of interdisciplinary experience applying cutting-edge analytical techniques.

Her work has led to key discoveries, including one of the first studies to detect toxic metals like lead and arsenic in menstrual hygiene products—findings that helped spur new regulations in New York and contributed to international standards. She received the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Metallomics Young Investigator Award for her research on zinc isotopes in pancreatic cancer. These findings were covered by CNN, Bloomberg, Inside Climate News, and Der Spiegel.

Her research has been funded by NIEHS, NSF, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She was awarded the Yusuf Hamied Fellowship to advance environmental and public health collaborations in India, and the Columbia World Projects Scholar-in-Residence Award to expand research on environmental exposures and health through the Columbia Global Center in Mumbai.

Her scholarly publications appear in leading journals including JAMA, Environmental Science & Technology, Environment International, Metallomics, and others.