Senior Scientists

Dr. Kneeland is a senior environmental chemist with a diverse scientific background, including expertise in organic geochemistry, oceanography, and climate science.  At Gradient, she interprets chemical signatures to discern different sources of chemicals in the environment.  She also helps companies understand and comply with chemical registration requirements around the world.

Prior to joining Gradient, Dr. Kneeland taught environmental chemistry at Haverford College.  Her doctoral research involved identifying new chemical biomarkers of environmental stress in corals.  She also used chemical proxies from marine sediments to reconstruct ancient ocean temperature records and related those histories to known climate shifts.  Her scientific interests involve using chemical signatures to trace biological, chemical, and physical processes in the environment. 

Chemical Registration:  Analyzed existing data and identified data gaps to support chemical registrations in the EU (REACH), Australia, New Zealand, and China.  Coordinated with commercial laboratories to obtain the necessary chemical analyses.  Reviewed chemical dossiers for completeness and accuracy to facilitate efficient chemical registrations.

Hydraulic Fracturing Wastewater:  Conducted a literature search to characterize the chemistry of wastewater produced during oil and gas drilling and production.  Compiled and analyzed summary statistics on produced water and flowback chemistry to support a risk assessment of oil and gas drilling operations.

Data Quality Support:  Evaluated environmental sampling and analytical methods to support an assessment of data quality, reliability, and usability.

Chemical Forensics:  Performed a multivariate data analysis on organic contaminant data to differentiate potential pollutant sources in support of an equitable cost allocation at a Superfund site with a long and complex history of industrial activity.

Hydraulic Fracturing Impacts:  Analyzed US EPA and USGS data from drinking water and monitoring wells to assess concerns that hydraulic fracturing contaminants may have impacted drinking water resources.  Evaluated well construction records and potential chemical contaminants from monitoring well drilling and cementing.