Dr. Hattie Spencer is a professor of Environmental Health at Mississippi Valley State University. She is a Jackson State University graduate, having received her B.S. in Biology, M.S. in Biology-Physiology, and Ph.D. in Environmental Science-Toxicology. She has multiple environmental and biological science publications: An Investigation of Endophytes from Roots of Pea Plant (2022), Toxicity Evaluation of Acrylamide on the Early Life Stages of the Zebrafish Embryos (Danio rerio) (2018), and Adsorption of Propazine, Simazine and Bisphenol A on the Surface of Nanoparticles of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles of Carbon and Metallic Oxides (2018), Study of Heavy Metal Uptake by Different Plant Species for Phytoremediation (2009), and Growth Inhibition in Japanese Medaka Exposed to Tetrachloroethylene (2006).

Dr. Spencer's specific research focus is objective 3 of Theme 4 - performing air quality studies to determine the climate change influence on agriculture activities and health outcomes.