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Colleen E. Bryan Sallee (Fed)
Dr. Bryan's research focuses on the roles and impacts of toxic and nutritional trace elements in food and consumer product safety; marine animal health; and mercury metrology. She began her career at NIST as a graduate student doing her master's degree thesis on "Non-lethal monitoring of trace elements in bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus" and her Ph.D. dissertation on "Influence of selenium and mercury chemistries on the progression of cardiomyopathy in pygmy sperm whales, Kogia breviceps". She has extensive experience in method development and analysis of trace elements using ICP-MS, ICP-MS/MS, ID-CV-ICP-MS, and direct combustion AAS.
Dr. Bryan is the inorganic lead for NIST Food Safety and the Inorganic Chemical Metrology Group Quality Manager. She is active in developing methods and trace element value assignments to support the NIST Standard Reference Materials program. Additionally, she has led NIST Pacific Marine Mammal Health Assessments (PMMHA) supported by collaborations with several partners that included studying Hawaiian monk seals, Northern Pacific humpback whales, and bottlenose dolphin under human care in the research areas of trace elements, organic contaminants, metabolomics, stable isotopes, fatty acids, and sex/population genetics. Colleen has also been involved in several environmental projects including examining mercury spatial and temporal trends for the Alaska Marine Mammal Tissue Archival Program (AMMTAP), the Seabird Tissue Archival and Monitoring Project (STAMP), and southeastern U.S. bottlenose dolphin.
Professional Awards and Recognition:
- Medical University of South Carolina College of Graduate Studies Scholarship, 2006-2010
- Best Student Poster Presentation, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Marine Mammal Symposium, Fort Pierce, FL, 2004
- Grice Marine Laboratory Graduate Scholarship, 2003
- Sigma Zeta: Science and Mathematics Society, 2000
- Omicron Delta Kappa: Leadership and Academic Society, 1999
Professional Activities:
- AOAC Trace Elements Community Co-Chair, 2025-Present
- CCQM Inorganic Analysis Working Group NIST Representative, 2023-Present
- AOAC member, 2022-Present
- International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine Member, 2013
- Medical University of South Carolina Associate Faculty Member, 2013-2019
- Hawaii Pacific University Affiliate Faculty Member, 2012-Present
- American Cetacean Society Member, 2010
- National Aquarium Conservation Center Dolphin Conservation Task Force, 2010-2012
- Society for Marine Mammalogy Member, 2003
Mentoring Experience
- Madeline Adams, M.S. student, College of Charleston Marine Biology Graduate Program (Laboratory Measurements)
- Elizabeth Crowther, NIST NRC Postdoctoral researcher (Laboratory Measurements)
- Jenna Klingsick, NIST Associate 2022-2024, World Wildlife Fund collaboration with NIST (Scientific and Laboratory Measurements Mentor)
- Mackenzie Griffin, M.S., Savannah State University Marine Sciences Program (Committee Member and Laboratory Measurements)
- Amanda Bayless, M.S., College of Charleston Graduate Program in Marine Biology (Laboratory Measurements)
- Stephanie Shaw, M.S., Hawaii Pacific University Marine Biology Program (Committee Member and Laboratory Measurements)
- Julia Smith, M.S., Hawaii Pacific University Marine Biology Program (Co-Advisor)
- Jackie Bangma, Ph.D. student, Medical University of South Carolina Marine Biomedicine and Environmental Sciences Program (Laboratory Measurements)
- Frances Nilsen, Ph.D. student, Medical University of South Carolina Marine Biomedicine and Environmental Sciences Program (Laboratory Measurements)
- Angela Hansen, M.S., Hawaii Pacific University Marine Biology Program (Committee Member and Laboratory Measurements)