Vena Offen is a Core Fellow/Visiting Assistant Professor in Environmental Studies. She received a Ph.D. in Oceanography from the University of Connecticut. Her research examines the interactions between humans and the coastal environment, focusing on marine pollution and commercially important shellfish. During her Ph.D. she was an EPA STAR Fellow and a Chateaubriand STEM Fellow in France for her work on emerging contaminants, including the effects of nanoparticles on the development of oyster larvae. Current projects include the impact of plastic pollution on the physiology of oysters and mussels. She is also conducting research with BC undergraduates related to nutrient and microalgal dynamics in Boston salt marshes and the Charles River.