Dr. Benoit Van Aken is an Associate Professor at the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at George Mason University (GMU). He earned a Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering (2000) from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium. Prior to joining GMU, he held faculty positions in Civil & Environmental Engineering at West Virginia University and Temple University. Van Aken's research interest focuses on the molecular response of plants exposed to organic pollutants. Van Aken has been awarded research grants from NSF, NIH, USDA, NASA, DOD, and SERDP. He is the author of 50+ peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters totaling over 3000 citations.