PhD candidate in the research group Bioanalytical Toxicology.

Plastic products consist of a great variety of chemicals that may leach and reach humans and the environment via different exposure pathways. Besides some well-known substances (bisphenols, phthalate and nonylphenols) little is known about the chemicals present in plastics. Mostly neither the chemical composition nor the toxicity of the final products is known.

Research

As part of the LimnoPlast project my aim is to characterize the in-vitro toxicity of leachates from plastic products of different polymer types with a focus on bio-based and bio-degradable polymers. With the help of effect directed analysis, I want to identify substances causing the observed in-vitro effects.

Background

Master’s degree in Ecology and Evolution from the Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany with a focus on aquatic ecotoxicology.

Master thesis: Ecotoxicological effects of a wastewater treatment plant and highway runoff on a small river in the Hessian Ried.

Bachelor’s degree in biology from the Technical University Dresden, Germany

Bachelor thesis: Bioconcentration of environmentally relevant UV filter substances in embryos of the zebrafish Danio rerio.