Isabel Courtney

2026-27 Global One Health Fellow

About Isabel

Isabel Courtney is a 2nd year PhD student in the Toxicology Program advised by Dr. Kurt Marsden. Her work focuses on understanding the adverse effects of exposures to cyanobacteria – the aquatic organisms responsible for harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs). She uses zebrafish as a model to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which cyanobacteria induce neurotoxicity and how cyanoHAB treatments impact non-target organisms. She hopes this work will inform policy and management surrounding the public health impacts of cyanoHABs.

Isabel has always had an interest in how normal systems can turn into diseased systems based on the interaction between complex biological mechanisms and environmental factors. She explored these questions while earning her BS in Environmental Science at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, and her MS in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Denver. She further elaborated on these topics while studying the genetic basis of neurodevelopment during her time working as a research technician in the lab of Dr. David Miller at Vanderbilt University. She is excited to continue tackling environmental issues from a Global One Health perspective and integrate these findings with her current research.

Contact Information

Email: icourtn@ncsu.edu

Faculty Advisor

Kurt Marsden | Biological Sciences