Interactions between Climate Change and Chemical Pollution : Impacts on Human and Ecological Health - NERC DLA TREES STUDENTSHIPS

The triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss requires novel ways of tackling multiple hazards. We know from chemical risk assessments that exposures do not occur to single chemicals but to cocktails of multiple compounds. To fully understand the multifactorial risks posed to humans and ecology, additional risk factors such as climate change have to be taken into account. Climate change can lead to changes in chemical exposures; e.g. changes in agricultural chemical use in response to novel pests or periods or draught; and it can further affect chemical behaviour in the environment (e.g. uptake rates with temperature or changes in chemical degradation). Climate change can also alter human and ecological vulnerability to chemical exposures, for example by intensifying heat stress or changing patterns of food and water use. This project will undertake research to better understand the interaction between climate change and chemical pollution in aquatic environments, and their combined impact on biodiversity loss and human health to tackle the triple planetary crisis. The study will assess how exposures to chemicals change in response to climate change by conducting systematic reviews of the existing knowledge. The reviews will be followed by a mixture of fieldwork and laboratory experiments which will address changes in exposures to chemicals and factors such as increased temperature as a consequence of climate change. The outcome of the project will help to identify the drivers of risk and impacts on human and ecological health.

 

You will receive training in several laboratory techniques, including human tissue culture for human health impacts and ecotoxicological assays for ecological endpoints (by supervisory team,  supported by technical teams). The effects will be validated in the field to capture real responses - e.g. how chemicals accumulate in river food webs, and risks for both biodiversity and human health. Practical work will be complemented with training in systematic review methodology to synthesise existing knowledge, further underpinned with training in chemical and multi-hazard risk assessment approaches to identify the combined risks of climate change and chemical exposures (by supervisory team). 

Eligibility

You must hold, or be expected to achieve, a first or high upper second-class undergraduate honours degree or equivalent (for example BA, BSc, MSci) or a Master's degree in a relevant subject (e.g. Biosciences, Analytical Science, Ecotoxicology etc). Prior experience in data analysis/visualisation, machine learning and/or analytical chemistry would be beneficial for this project. Candidates that have a relevant background in maths and/or data analytics that would like to develop biological knowledge, and analytical chemistry skills will also be suitable for this position. For further information on eligibility please refer to the TREES website.

How to apply

Enquiries email name and address:

TREES.Admissions@ucl.ac.uk

Application Web Page:

https://www.trees-dla.ac.uk/apply

Meet the Supervisor(s)

Sibylle Ermler - Sibylle Ermler is a Lecturer in Biosciences (Endocrinology and Metabolism) in the Department of Life Sciences. She joined Brunel as a Research Fellow in Human Toxicology. She has expertise in the impact of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and genotoxicants on human and environmental health. Her research focuses on metabolic disorders and obesity, with additional interest in male and female reproductive health, and the developmental origins of health and disease. Furthermore, she is an expert in mixture toxicology with an interest in the translation of (mixture-) toxicology into chemical risk assessment. Sibylle’s research has a focus on the development and application of novel in vitro approaches with the aim of creating human relevant models for human disease, and reducing the requirement for animal testing. Additional interdisciplinary research interests include the impact of climate change on food systems and on human development and health. University positions 2022-current:Lecturer in Biosciences (Endocrinology and Metabolism), Life Sciences, Brunel University London 2011-2022: Research Fellow, Environmental Sciences, Life Sciences, Brunel University London 2007-2011: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Centre for Toxicology, UCL School of Pharmacy, London
Daniel Perkins - I am a foodweb ecologist interested in understanding the impacts of environmental change (e.g. land use change, climate warming and microplastic pollution) on aquatic ecosystems. An ecosystem is more than the sum of its parts and by studying species interactions (e.g. food webs) we can gain key information about the pathways of energy flow that bring about real change in natural systems. I use a range of approaches from small-scale laboratory experiments, field surveys and large ecological datasets to search for common mechanisms operating across freshwater and marine realms.