EMSL postdoctoral associate blends passion for research, policy, and the environment

Even as a child, Robert Stanley―a postdoctoral research associate at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL)―had a passion for protecting trees and the environment.  

He grew up next to the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County in Illinois, where there is an abundance of diverse plants and wildlife. 

Stanley remembers enjoying biking and walking on the trails through the protected forests and prairies. But he also remembers the stark reality of how an environment can be disturbed by invasive species and environmental threats. 

“When emerald ash borers spread throughout our area, nearly everyone in our neighborhood and neighborhoods around us had to watch their ash trees in their yards die,” he recalled. In some places where ash trees were planted as street trees, entire ecosystems were destroyed. 

It was seeing the impact of invasive weeds and insects, chemical pollution, and changes to the atmosphere that gave Stanley a passion for combining science and policy. 

“It’s the best of both worlds,” he said of combining science and policy. “It’s a privilege to be able to keep one foot in the lab and have an effect on how science impacts our community.” 

At EMSL, a Department of Energy Office of Science user facility at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Stanley conducts matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI MSI) experiments. The MALDI MSI is an imaging analysis tool for investigating the chemistry of tissues (mammalian and plant) at a single cell level. It allows researchers to detect which parts of plants are making specific metabolites, such as growth indicators, metabolites for defense, or signals to communicate with pathogens such as bacteria and fungi.  

Stanley combines his EMSL work with his new role as chair of the National Science Policy Network (NSPN)―an organization consisting of 1,400 graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and early-career scientists with a mission to train the next generations of science leaders. 

Down to his roots 

Stanley was an undergraduate at University of Notre Dame, where he was involved in research focused on developing plant biomarkers in the research group led by Jeanne Romero-Severson, ending in a project that helped look at genetic markers in green ash trees.  

As he became aware of the immense damage posed by emerald ash borers, Stanley accepted an opportunity to continue at Notre Dame with a doctoral project studying the plant-insect interactions between green ash and emerald ash borers at the molecular level. He was able to continue working in the green ash breeding program managed by United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service researcher Jennifer Koch in Delaware, Ohio.

This project and the deep impact caused on society by the emerald ash borer, showed him that research contributions could have a positive impact on the environment, and kindled his engagement in science policy.  

Science and policy, he said, “affect each other and work together. You cannot have Science divorced from Society, and policy is how we seek to improve and protect the world around us.” 

At Notre Dame, Stanley joined a local science policy chapter before being nominated to be a regional chair of the NSPN. He took on various other roles at NSPN, including serving as the grants and finance chair. He fondly remembers helping run trainings and events at the state level to bring together scientists and state lawmakers. 

“We talked about the science happening in our state,” he said, remembering conversations about the stewardship of state funds by scientists and how scientists can provide non-partisan background information to assist legislators as they tackle complex policy decisions.  

These experiences culminated in him now being named national chair of NSPN. In this role, he serves as the voice of the membership on the governing board and assists in the administration of the organization. 

“It is an honor to serve in the role of national chair of NSPN to help guide the direction of the organization and ensure that we are true to our mission not only to train and provide resources for early career scientists, but to build our community and the network of scientists who want to use policy skills to improve the world around them,” he said. 

Chemical capabilities 

Stanley continues to blend laboratory research and science policy while working as a postdoctoral researcher at EMSL. His work supports user projects at PNNL, as well as grant-funded experiments.  

Stanley is looking forward to learning more techniques and developing more skills to answer some of the questions that remain unanswered since the days of his graduate research, such as “how defensive chemicals are spatially distributed in plants, especially in trees.” 

Chemicals in plants are often not uniformly distributed, he said. But MALDI allows a view of how chemicals are spread throughout plant tissues―a way of assessing the importance of the chemicals in the plant’s growth, health, and defense.  

“That’s why I came to EMSL,” Stanley said when referring to MALDI and related mass spectrometry imaging capabilities. “They have a phenomenal mass spectrometry imaging group, one of the best in the world for analyzing plants.”  

At the same time, his role at NSPN, “allows me to work with students and other young scientists,” he said. “It is deeply fulfilling to see the creation of opportunities that didn’t exist five years ago, and to develop the community which envisions science to have direct and practical use for good in the world.”