River Bellamy

River Bellamy is researching the scalable application of phytoremediation for inorganic (i.e., lead (Pb), arsenic (As), cobalt (Co), hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) and organic (i.e., organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs)) contamination in urban areas. Her undergraduate studies at the NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study focused on the ways colonialism and chattel slavery changed and, very often, contaminated the natural environment.

Admittance Semester/Year and Program 

Fall 2025, Ph.D in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management

Education

BA, Individualized Study, New York University, New York, NY, 2024

Research Lab

Pallud Lab

Selected Publications

• Bellamy, R. Colonial Impacts: Yorùbá Gender and Sexuality. November 2022

Selected Presentations

• American Chemical Society (ACS) Spring Conference, Co-author presentation: Assessing mycorrhizal influence on heat-stressed poplar (Populus trichocarpa) VOC blends, Mar. 2026

• NYU Gallatin - Student Research Conference; Presented: Ecological Reciprocity: A Case Study of Utah Community Gardens, Oct. 2023

• NYU School of Public Health - Climate Justice and Health Lab (CJHL), Presented: Ecological Reciprocity: A Case Study of Utah Community Gardens, Sept. 2023

 Selected Honors and Awards

• UC Berkeley, ESPM Summer Research Funds, May 2026

• UC Berkeley, ESPM Starter Grant, Jan. 2026

• Department of Toxic Substances Control, Equitable Community Revitalization Grant (received a portion of the funding for GSR as part of a team), Summer 2025

• New York University, Clyde Taylor Award for Distinguished Work in African-American and Africana Studies, May 2024                                   

• Senior Project Honors, awarded for “A Black History of Earth Science in the United States”, Dec. 2023                                                                                                  

• New York University, Excellence at Gallatin, Apr. 2023