Please see the PhD opportunity in Toxicology/Applied Biological Science
at the University of Saskatchewan/University of Ghent below:
*PhD Candidate to investigate the human bioaccessibility of groundwater
pollutants*
The University of Saskatchewan Toxicology Group and the Ghent University
Center for Microbiology Ecology and Technology are searching for a PhD
Candidate interested in studying the interaction between pollutants,
metals and the human intestine to help set remediation objectives.
A primary concern at downstream hydrocarbon sites is human ingestion of
contaminants, either from groundwater or from adhered soil. Regulators
assume 100% bioavailability, or in other words, that all the ingested
pollutant reaches the site of toxic action. This assumption is widely
acknowledged as being too conservative, but orally ingested polyaromatic
hydrocarbons have been shown to have bioavailability ranging between 6%
and 100%, depending on the type of polyaromatic hydrocarbons, dose,
vehicle, and animal species. It is difficult to a priori estimate
bioavailability at a contaminated site, and thus regulators assume that
the exposure to humans from contaminated groundwater is equal to the
total chemical present in the groundwater. However, it is possible that
only fraction of this pollutant is accessible to humans (i.e.,
bioaccessible) and that only a fraction of the pollutant that is
bioaccessible actually reaches systemic circulation.
The successful candidate will use advanced in vitro digestors,
3-dimensional cell culture approaches and gene expression assays to
address a series of linked question: (i) Does bioaccessibility of
pollutants in groundwater change throughout the year? If so, what
predicts these differences? (ii) What water parameters influence in
vitro bioavailability of differing groundwaters? And, (iii) Does
dissolved metal concentrations in groundwater influence bioavailability
through specific pathways?
Students may receive their PhD from either the Toxicology Program at the
University of Saskatchewan or Applied Biological Science at Ghent
University, but will be expected to split their time equally between
both institutions. At both institutions, the working language is English
but the community language in Ghent is Flemish and in Saskatoon, it’s
French and English. Interested candidates are invited to contact Tom Van
de Wiele, [email protected], or Steven Siciliano,
[email protected], with a brief resume and unofficial transcripts.
--
Steven Mamet, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
5E24, College of Agriculture and Bioresources
Department of Soil Science
51 Campus Drive
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8
E:[email protected]
P: 306.966.6857
http://www.stevenmamet.com
http://earthwatch.org/scientific-research/our-scientists/steven-mamet
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