Basu, Niladri

Academic title(s): 

Professor
Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Environmental Health Sciences

Basu, Niladri
Contact Information
Address: 

CINE Building, Room 204

Phone: 
514-398-8642
Email address: 
niladri.basu [at] mcgill.ca
Degree(s): 

B.Sc. 1999 (Queen’s)
M.Sc. 2002 (British Columbia)
Ph.D. 2005 (McGill)

Awards, honours, and fellowships: 

2013-2023 – Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Environmental Health Sciences
2021 – OECD Cooperative Research Program (CRP) Fellowship
2013 – Excellence in Teaching, UM School of Public Health
2009 – Environmental Health Sciences Communication Fellow

Biography: 

Professor Nil Basu holds a Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Environmental Health Sciences at McGill University where he is jointly appointed in the Department of Natural Resource Sciences and the School of Human Nutrition. Professor Basu also holds appointments in McGill’s School of the Environment and the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, as well as an adjunct professorship at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. The goal of Professor Basu's research is to design, validate, and apply innovative and sustainable approaches to address the most pressing societal concerns over toxic chemicals in our environment. Professor Basu’s research is multidisciplinary (bridges environmental quality and human health), inter-sectoral (most projects driven by stakeholder needs, notably government and communities), and driven by environmental justice concerns. Professor Basu has assumed national and international leadership positions to bring together diverse teams to tackle grand challenges in the field (e.g., chemicals management, mercury pollution, electronic waste). Professor Basu’s research activities are situated at the interface of science and policy with notable involvements with the UN Minamata Convention, Canada’s Chemicals Management Plan, and the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health. His team’s work has been supported by more than $40M in research funding, resulted in >200 peer-reviewed papers, and afforded training opportunities to over 100 students including 18 postdoctoral fellows and 12 PhD students.

Research areas: 
Environmental Health and Toxicology
Current research: 
  • Innovating environmental biotechnology: A series of projects that bring together advances in molecular biology, computational toxicology, and high-throughput approaches to tackle environmental pollution, including the EcoToxChip Project.
  • Community driven research: Public health- and environmental justice-oriented projects focused on Indigenous Peoples and also the informal sector work sector.
  • Global synthesis and policyResearch and actions focused on distilling scientific results for policy uptake, e.g., chemicals management, Minamata Convention, systematic reviews.
Areas of interest: 

The objective of Prof. Basu’s research program is to design, validate, and apply innovative and sustainable approaches to address the most pressing societal concerns over toxic chemicals in our environment.

To realize lasting translational impact, the team’s research has been built on three pillars:

  • Intersectoral Empathy: Grand challenges articulated by stakeholders from across government offices, vulnerable communities, and the private sector drive the research agenda, and these are pursued in a collaborative manner.
  • Multidisciplinary Knowledge: A deeper understanding can only be realized when toxicological responses are scaled across species (i.e. humans and wildlife) and along multiple tiers of biological organization (from molecular to individual to ecosystem), which in turn are integrated across the natural, social, and medical sciences.
  • Environmental Justice: Contamination is a human rights issue and so it is necessary to educate society about inequities, empower communities to take action, and communicate the evidence base so that responsible, and not regrettable, decisions are taken.

The ultimate goal of Prof. Basu’s program is to conduct excellent research in the broader fields of environmental science (ecotoxicology and genomics) and public health (exposure science and epidemiology) such that outputs may be effectively disseminated to diverse stakeholders (e.g., students, policy makers, scientists, community partners) and lead to public health actions and policies that contribute to improve environmental quality and human health in Canada and internationally.

Courses: 

NUTR 450. Research Methods: Human Nutrition.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Human Nutrition (Faculty of Agric Environ Sci)
Terms Offered: Fall 2025
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Description

Introduction to how diverse approaches to nutrition research including international, community, laboratory, clinical, molecular, meta-analyses are necessary to advance the field of nutrition. Emphasis on ethics, scientific method, research process and analysis of results.
  • Fall
  • 2 hour lecture, 1 hour other per week
  • Prerequisites: AEMA 310 or BIOL 373, and NUTR 307

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NRSC 670. Principles of Environmental Health Sciences 1.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences (Graduate Studies)
Terms Offered: Fall 2025
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Description

Topics in environmental health sciences: principles of exposure assessment and of toxicology.
  • Restriction(s): Open to graduate students pursuing a career in Environmental Health Sciences or with permission of the course instructors. Not open to students who have taken or are taking EPIB 684 or EXMD 670 or PHAR 670.

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NRSC 671. Principles of Environmental Health Sciences 2.

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Credits: 3
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences (Graduate Studies)
Terms Offered: Winter 2026
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Description

Topics in environmental health sciences: principles of environmental epidemiology.
  • Prerequisite(s): NRSC 670
  • Restriction(s): Open to graduate students in the Environmental Health Sciences or permission of the course instructors. Not open to students who have taken or are taking EPIB 685 or EXMD 671 or PHAR 671.

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PARA 515. Water, Health and Sanitation.

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Credits: 3
Offered by: Parasitology (Faculty of Agric Environ Sci)
Terms Offered: Winter 2026
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Description

The origin and types of water contaminants including live organisms, infectious agents and chemicals of agricultural and industrial origins. Conventional and new technological developments to eliminate water pollutants. Comparisons of water, health and sanitation between industrialized and developing countries.

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