Pamela Heckel is a research toxicologist with Hyperion Biotechnology, Inc. She earned the doctorate in 2007 from the University of Cincinnati. Her research focused on environmental mercury contamination from anthropogenic sources. She used the Periodical Cicada as a surrogate indicator of human exposure and developed a computer model to predict roadside concentrations from mobile sources. She completed a post-doctoral appointment in environmental health, followed by an appointment with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States Department of Health and Human Services. She was the interim coordinator of the Prevention through Design initiative. Her prior experience includes inventory control, landscape options for sustainability, post occupancy evaluation, marketing and sales support for Boeing, and computer analysis of airplane engines.