Assessing the effect of chemical mixtures and variable temperatures on the growth of aquatic plants by the use of mechanistic models

Organisation: University of Copenhagen

SupervisorsProf. Dr. Nina Cedergreen

Hi! I am Emma Yenney, Doctoral Candidate 7 in the QTOX Network, studying at the University of Copenhagen. My research objectives are to investigate the effect chemical mixtures and variable temperatures have on the growth of aquatic plants, namely Lemna and Myriophyllum, using mechanistic models.

I am originally from the USA, where I graduated with my BSc in environmental science from my home state in 2021. I then started my MSc in Germany studying ecotoxicology at the Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserlautern-Landau. Throughout my master's, I worked with different environmental pollutants such as pesticides, antimicrobials, and heavy metals, where I conducted bioassays and implemented exposure and effect models to assess risk. Finding a passion for risk assessment, my thesis focused on an ecological risk assessment of plastic in the sediment of Moreton Bay, Australia.

With QTOX I am excited to implement my ecotox background and improve my modelling skills. I hope that with this work we will better understand the effect of realistic chemical exposures in the presence of additional stress factors on primary producers.