About
Dr. Michael Yost is professor emeritus the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS). He is also the director of the Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center at DEOHS. A member of the DEOHS faculty since 1993, Dr. Yost was department chair from 2014 to 2024.
Dr. Yost’s research focuses on developing tools and techniques to measure environmental and occupational exposures using electromagnetic radiation such as ultraviolet, visible and infrared light or lasers. The technology has been applied to monitor pollution from car, train and marine traffic; to measure pesticide drift; and to detect hazardous and concealed materials.
His research also extends to investigating the impacts of climate change, heat events and nanotechnology on human health. He holds eight patents on products and processes. In 2017, Dr. Yost was named the winner of the Rachel Carson Award by the American Industrial Hygiene Association.
