Physiological determinants of biological species sensitivity
Organisation: University of Antwerp, Belgium
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Gudrun De Boeck and Prof. Dr. Raewyn M. Town
Hi, my name is Dirk de Leijer, and I am from The Netherlands. As Doctoral Candidate 2 of the QTOX project, I am working within the ECOSPHERE Research Group at the University of Antwerp. The focus of my research is to establish physiological-based descriptors for extrapolation of adverse effects between biological species both within and between taxonomic groups.
During my master’s in Toxicology and Environmental Health, I had the opportunity to perform two research projects, combining experience in physiologically-based assays and mixed chemical exposure, and ecotoxicological assessment in the aquatic environment. These projects united my interests in the physiological effect of chemicals on organisms in the lab, as well as exposure assessment in the environment.
I am eager to be working within the QTOX project to extend our knowledge of ecotoxicology in realistic conditions and combine the generated data to assess environmentally relevant models.