UK CENTRE FOR ECOLOGY & HYDROLOGY
The Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) operates under United Kingdom Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), which is one of the world’s leading bodies for research within the terrestrial and freshwater sciences. NERC & CEH undertakes high quality pure and applied research to understand our environment and to develop partnerships, guidance and policies to support growth and responsible environmental management. CEH scientists have been central to a number of high profile national and international programs to assess health and environmental risks of a range of pollutants. These activities include the development of trace metal and nanomaterial characterisation techniques; fate and exposure assessments for existing and emerging substances; modelling of nanomaterials transport in river catchment; modelling engineered nanoparticle bioavailability in soils and waters and utilising transcriptomic, metabolomic and ionomic approaches to identify the adverse outcome pathways associated with observed apical toxic effects.
The team involved in ASINA have access to modern research facilities for high throughput ecotoxicological testing and measurements of NM toxic effects ranging from changes in gene expression through physiological changes to effects on population genetics and community composition (Mesocosms). To support these high throughput and detailed ecotoxicological studies, CEH has a centralised analytical laboratory accredited to ISO17025:2005, and extensive experience in the development and refinement of trace analytical methods, including NM characterisation in environmental samples. CEH also have extensive Environmental Fate and Transport skills and capacity for both classical chemical, nanomaterials and colloids.
ROLE IN THE PROJECT:
The UKRI will contribute to tasks in WP2, especially leading Task 2.2. UKRI will also work to strengthen ongoing collaboration with leaders of the
US-EPA and NSF funded centres “Center for the Environmental Implications of NanoTechnology (CEINT)” and “Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology (CSU)”, as well as maintain EU coordination with other projects addressing Environmental exposure and hazard assessment through NSC and the EU-US CoRs.