As part of the 2026 Summer Lecture Series at the University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS), Dr. Linda Greer will give a free, public talk titled, “Using Science to Make a Difference: The Work to Reduce Global Mercury Pollution.”

Although many study environmental science because they are concerned about the health of the planet, most apply their training to research or teaching following their education.

A UMBS alumna, Greer earned a Ph.D. in environmental toxicology with a “hard science” dissertation but spent her career at the Natural Resources Defense Council working with lawyers and policy experts to promote improvements in environmental laws and regulations and to pressure corporations to reduce their pollution abroad.

In this talk, Greer will describe the use of science in her advocacy, illustrating this line of work with the story of reducing global mercury pollution.

Linda Greer is an environmental toxicologist who worked on toxic chemical and industrial pollution with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) for nearly 30 years. She capped her career overseeing green supply chain initiatives for four years with the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, the leading environmental NGO in China and now works as an independent consultant.

Linda spent most of her career on domestic environmental law and policy. As manufacturing moved abroad, however, she turned her attention to global pollution matters, concentrating her work internationally.

Focusing first on mercury pollution, Linda was a founder and leader of the NGO’s community’s successful effort to pass the Minamata Convention in the United Nations, a binding international treaty to reduce the use and release of this toxic metal around the globe.

Subsequently, Linda turned to China, creating NRDC’s Clean by Design Program, a highly successful green supply chain initiative that promotes improvements in apparel manufacturing.

For more than a decade, Linda taught a popular summer intensive course, “Scientific Fundamentals of Risk Assessment” at Vermont Law School, and she has also taught short courses for the National Association of State Attorney Generals and the U.S. Department of Justice Department of Environmental Crimes.

Greer served as the interim director of the University of Michigan Biological Station in 2016-2017 during a sabbatical break from advocacy.

Linda has served on many expert panels and commissions, including the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. EPA Science Advisory Board. She currently serves on the board of the Cary Institute.

Linda is the author of over a dozen technical and policy articles on environmental matters and has frequently testified before Congress. She has a Ph.D. in environmental toxicology (U of Maryland), a M.S.P.H. in environmental sciences and engineering (UNC School of Public Health, Chapel Hill), and a B.S. in biology (Tufts University).

The University of Michigan Biological Station serves as a gathering place to learn from the natural world, advance research and education, and inspire action. We leverage over a century of research and transformative experiences to drive discoveries and solutions to benefit Michigan and beyond.

Founded in 1909, UMBS supports long-term research and education through immersive, field-based courses and features state-of-the-art equipment and facilities for data collection and analysis to help any field researcher be productive. It is where students and scientists from across the globe live and work as a community to learn from the place.

The Summer Lecture Series is a tradition at UMBS, where we explore scientific topics with distinguished guest speakers from across the country so the community can learn about our natural world.

The free, public talks are on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in the spring and summer in Gates Lecture Hall at the University of Michigan Biological Station, located at 9133 Biological Rd. in Pellston, Michigan — about 20 miles south of the Mackinac Bridge.