Lance Picton

Lance Picton is a Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Arizona College of Public Health, specializing in environmental microbiology and microbial risk assessment. He holds an MPH in Environmental and Occupational Health and a BS in Microbiology, both from the University of Arizona. Lance serves as a lead research associate at the Environment, Exposure Science, and Risk Assessment Center (ESRAC) and is a graduate researcher with the PANDA Core for Genomics and Microbiome Research at the Steele Children’s Research Center. His work focuses on microbial exposures in built environments and translating laboratory findings into actionable strategies for health protection.

He has led and contributed to numerous industry-sponsored studies on contamination control, disinfection efficacy, and hygiene interventions across community and professional settings. Lance completed a graduate fellowship at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the Kennedy Krieger Institute, where he studied behavioral and mental health outcomes among children with autism during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has also presented his research at national forums, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).