Co-Director, NRDA Consulting Group; Senior Ecotoxicologist
jeff.morris@briwildlife.org
303-910-2897

Jeff has expertise in environmental toxicology, aquatic biology and contaminant fate and transport. For the last 25 years, his work has focused on Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) and other types of environmental litigation (serving as an expert), environmental consulting, remediation technology development, and applied research on aquatic toxicity and developmental biology. He has designed and conducted hundreds of laboratory and field investigations and evaluated data on the fate and effects of metals, uranium, mercury and methyl mercury, petroleum hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), ammonia, bacteria, and pathogens on aquatic biota, including fish, invertebrates, shellfish, and biofilm. Jeff is also a principal investigator on many applied research projects including unique field and laboratory bioassay methods development and remote monitoring of salmon embryo development in the Bristol Bay Watershed, AK. Jeff joined BRI in 2024 and is a telecommuter living in Colorado.

Education:

• University of Wyoming, 2005 – Ph.D., Zoology & Physiology
• University of Wyoming, 1999- B.S., Wildlife and Fisheries Biology and Management

Certifcations

• 40-Hour Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER)
• Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) Safety and Onsite Training, 2008

Other:

• Courtesy Faculty, University of North Texas, Department of Biological Sciences (2022-present)

• Environmental toxicology
• Climate change impacts on Alaskan salmon
• Environmental technology development
• Natural Resource Damage Assessment
• Aquatic Biology

View the full list on Google Scholar here

Porter, D.E., J.M. Morris, M.P. Trifari, M.J. Wooller, P.A.H. Westley, K.B. Gorman, and B.D. Barst. 2023. Acute toxicity of copper to three species of Pacific salmon fry in water with low hardness and low dissolved organic carbon. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 42(11): 2440-2452. Available: https://setac.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/etc.5724.

Takeshita, R., S.J. Bursian, K.M. Colegrove, T.K. Collier, K. Deak, K.M. Dean, S. De Guise, L.M. DiPinto, C.J. Elferink, A.J. Esbaugh, R.J. Griffitt., M. Groselll, K.E. Harr, J.P. Incardona, R.K. Kwok, J. Lipton, C.L. Mitchelmore, J.M. Morris, E.S. Peters, A.P. Roberts, T.K. Rowles, J.A. Rusiecki, L.H. Schwacke, C.R. Smith, D.L. Wetzel, M.H. Ziccardi, and A.J. Hall. 2021. A review of the toxicology of oil in vertebrates: What we have learned following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B 24(8): 355-394. Available: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10937404.2021.1975182

Nielsen, K.N., M.M. Alloy, L. Damare, I. Palmer, H.P. Forth, J. Morris, J.A. Stoeckel, and A.P. Roberts. 2020. Planktonic fiddler crab (Uca longisignalis) are susceptible to photoinduced toxicity following in ovo exposure in oiled mesocosms. Environmental Science and Technology. 54(10): 6254-6261. Available: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.0c00215

Morris, J.M., S.F. Brinkman, M.W. Carney, and J. Lipton. 2019. Copper toxicity in Bristol Bay headwaters: Part 1 – Acute mortality and ambient water quality criteria in low-hardness water. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 38(1):190–197. Available: https://setac.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/etc.4252.

Morris, J.M., S. Brinkman, R. Takeshita, A. McFadden, M. Carney, and J. Lipton. 2019. Copper toxicity in Bristol Bay headwaters: Part 2 – Olfactory inhibition in low-hardness water. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 38(1):198–209. Available: https://setac.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/etc.4295.

Morris, J.M., M. Gielazyn, M.O. Krasnec, R. Takeshita, H.P. Forth, J.S. Labenia, T.L. Linbo, B.L. French, J.A. Gill, D.H. Baldwin, N.L. Scholz, and J.P. Incardona. 2018. Crude oil cardiotoxicity to red drum embryos is independent of oil dispersion energy. Chemosphere 213:205–214. Available: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653518316588.

Bridges, K., M. Krasnec, J.T. Magnuson. J.M. Morris, M.L. Gielazyn, J.R. Chavez, and A.P. Roberts. 2018. Influence of variable ultraviolet radiation and oil exposure duration on survival of red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) larvae. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 37:2372–2379. Available: https://setac.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/etc.4183.

Mager, E.M., C. Pasparakis, J.D. Stieglitz, R. Hoenig, J.M. Morris, D.D. Benetti, and M. Grosell. 2018. Combined effects of hypoxia or elevated temperature and Deepwater Horizon crude oil exposure on juvenile mahi swimming performance. Marine Environmental Research 139:129–135. Available: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0141113618301818.

Sweet, L.E., A.T. Revill, J. Strzelecki, S.E. Hook, J.M. Morris, and A.P. Roberts. 2018. Photo-induced toxicity following exposure to crude oil and ultraviolet radiation in two Australian fishes. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 37(5):1359–1366. doi: 10.1002/etc.4083. Available: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/etc.4083/full.

Jones, E.R., C.J. Martyniuk, J.M. Morris, M.O. Krasnec, and R.J. Griffitt. 2017. Exposure to Deepwater Horizon oil and Corexit 9500 at low concentrations induces transcriptional changes and alters immune transcriptional pathways in sheepshead minnows. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology – Part D: Genomics and Proteomics 23:8–16. Available: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1744117X17300400.

Forth, H.P., C.L. Mitchelmore, J.M. Morris, and J. Lipton. 2017. Characterization of oil and water accommodated fractions used to conduct aquatic toxicity testing in support of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill natural resource damage assessment. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 36(6):1450–1459. doi: 10.1002/etc.3672. Available: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1002/etc.3672/full. (One of five most cited papers published in ET&C in 2017)

Brown-Peterson, N.J., M.O. Krasnec, C.R. Lay, J.M. Morris, and R.J. Griffitt. 2017. Responses of juvenile southern flounder exposed to Deepwater Horizon oil-contaminated sediments. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 36(4):1067–1076. doi: 10.1002/etc.3629. Available: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/etc.3629/full.

Alloy, M., T.R. Garner, K. Bridges, C. Mansfield, M. Carney, H. Forth, M. Krasnec, C. Lay, R. Takeshita, J. Morris, S. Bonnot, J. Oris, and A. Roberts. 2017. Co‐exposure to sunlight enhances the toxicity of naturally weathered Deepwater Horizon oil to early lifestage red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) and speckled seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus). Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 36(3):780–785. doi: 10.1002/etc.3640. Available: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1002/etc.3640/full.

Unrein, J.R., J.M. Morris, R.S. Chitwood, J. Lipton, J. Peers, S. van de Wetering, and C.B. Schreck. 2016. Pacific lamprey ammocoetes (Entosphenus tridentatus) exposed to contaminated Portland Harbor sediments: Method development and effects on survival, growth, and behavior. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 35(8):2092–2102.

Esbaugh, A.J., E.M. Mager, J.D. Stieglitz, R. Hoenig, T.L. Brown, B.L. French, T.L. Linbo, C. Lay, H. Forth, N.L. Scholz, J.P. Incardona, J.M. Morris, D.D. Benetti, and M. Grosell. 2016. The effects of weathering and chemical dispersion on Deepwater Horizon crude oil toxicity to mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) early life stages. Science of the Total Environment 543(A):644–651. Available: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969715310494.

Morris, J.M. and S. Jin. 2012. Enhanced biodegradation of hydrocarbon-contaminated sediments using microbial fuel cells. Journal of Hazardous Materials 213–214:474–477. Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22402341.

Morris, J.M. and S. Jin. 2008. Feasibility of using microbial fuel cell technology for bioremediation of hydrocarbons in groundwater. Journal of Environmental Science and Health-Part A: Toxic/Hazardous Substances and Environmental Engineering 43:18–23.

Morris, J.M., E. Snyder-Conn, J.S. Foott, R.A. Holt, M.J. Suedkamp, H.M. Lease, S.J. Clearwater, and J.S. Meyer. 2006. Survival of Lost River suckers (Deltistes luxatus) challenged with Flavobacterium columnare during exposure to sublethal ammonia concentrations at pH 9.5. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 49:1–8.

Meyer, J.S., M.J. Suedkamp, J.M. Morris, and A.M. Farag. 2006. Leachability of protein and metals incorporated into aquatic invertebrates: Are species and metals-exposure history important? Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 50:79–87.

Morris, J.M., D.A. Nimick, A.M. Farag, and J.S. Meyer. 2005. Does biofilm contribute to diel cycling of Zn in High Ore Creek, Montana? Biogeochemistry 76:233–259.

Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees. 2016. Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Final Programmatic Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan and Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement. Available: http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-planning/gulf-plan. (Dr. Morris was the NOAA toxicity testing program manager and one of the main contributors to Chapter 4, Section 4.3 Toxicity.)