ESR 5: Simon Schmid
Country of origin: Switzerland
Host institution: Norwegian Institute for Water Research
Contact: simon.schmid@niva.no
About me
Simon obtained both, his BSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences and his MSc in Drug Sciences at the University of Basel in Switzerland. Throughout his studies he developed a profound interest in (Eco)toxicology. He conducted his master thesis in aquatic ecotoxicology at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Muttenz where he investigated the molecular effects of environmental steroid hormones in zebrafish embryos. After his graduation, he continued working on his master thesis project as a research assistant.
Currently, Simon is employed as ESR at the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) and enrolled in the PhD program in environmental science at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. His research within PRORISK focuses on linking chemical disturbances of chitin synthesis with adverse outcomes in crustaceans. He is developing and evaluating Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOPs) related to chitin synthesis inhibition and he will refine and populate the AOPs with data originating from targeted bioassays, toxicogenomic as well as computational approaches.
Project
| Project title: | Linking chemical perturbations of chitin synthesis to developmental disorders in crustaceans |
| Objectives: | To establish and evaluate the AOP “Chitin synthesis inhibitors leading to developmental disorders and death in freshwater crustaceans”. To implement a suite of bioassays and effect tools characterize the AOP and establish quantitative effect relationships along the AOP continuum (qAOP) in Daphnia magna. Establish computational solutions to support extrapolation of AOP and qAOP data to hazard and risk assessment. |
| Expected results: | Conceptual AOP developed and evaluated, submitted to the AOP-wiki and knowledge gaps identified to guide experimental studies. Experimentally consolidate the AOP with molecular (with ESR2), functional, and adverse outcomes data (with ESR6) in D. magna to develop qAOPs. Demonstrate use of computational solutions (e.g. statistics, bioinformatics and machine learning) to support cross-species extrapolations and use of AOP/qAOP data to support environmental hazard and risk assessment (with ESR3). |
| Place: | Oslo, Norway |
| Planned secondments: |
VUA, M15, 1 month, histochemistry, histopathology and in situ hybridisation in D. magna CSIC-CEAB, M20, 2 months, multispecies exposures EI, M30, 1 month – chemical analysis and data-mining of demonstration studies from WP5 (JDS4) |
| Work packages: | 3 - Linking molecular responses to effects at higher biological levels using adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) 5 - Risk assessment and socio-economic evaluation of ecological effects |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Knut Erik Tollefsen, NIVA |
| Co-supervisors/Mentors: |
Dr. You Song, NIVA Prof. Dr. Bert van Bavel, NIVA Prof. Dr. Torgeir Rhoden Hvidsten, NMBU Prof. Dr. Marja Lamoree, VUA Dr. Eugènia Martí, CSIC-CEAB Dr. Jaroslav Slobodnik, EI |
| Host institution: | Norwegian Institute for Water Research |
| Enrolment: | Norwegian University of Life Sciences |