Sivakumar Murugadoss
Dr. Sivakumar Murugadoss is a Scientist at NILU in the department of Environmental Chemistry and Health Effects. He specializes in toxicology, nanotoxicology, in vitro methods, Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOPs), Integrated Approaches to Testing and Assessment (IATA), and Safety-by-Design (SbD) concepts. He has served on the OECD Advisory Group on Emerging Science in Chemicals Assessment (ESCA) and the Belgian Society of Toxicology and Ecotoxicology (BelTox), contributing to international efforts to advance science-based chemical safety assessment.
Since joining NILU in 2024, he has worked on Horizon Europe projects such as ANALYST and PROPLANET, focusing on safe and sustainable PFAS-free coatings and plastics. His work applies Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) principles to define safety frameworks and contribute to the development of practical toolboxes for integrated, holistic SSbD assessment - supported by his expertise in hazard assessment, mechanistic in vitro toxicity, and new approach methodologies (NAMs). He is also expanding his capabilities in in silico and exposure modelling tools to strengthen early-stage SSbD evaluations.
He has contributed to several EU-funded projects, focusing on the integration of mechanistic toxicology, regulatory science, and safety considerations to enable next-generation hazard assessment and the design of safer, more sustainable chemicals and materials.
Xiaoxiong Ma
Xiaoxiong Ma is a Senior Engineer at NILU in the department of Environmental Chemistry and Health Effects.
He is a molecular biologist with expertise in gene editing (CRISPR-Cas9), in vitro human and animal tissue models, stem cell models, microscopy, histology, RNA sequencing, gene expression, cell differentiation, and a wide range of in vitro toxicology assays.
Since 2022, he has worked as an engineer at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, in the Department of Biobanks, where he contributed to studies related to MoBa (the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study), and in parallel in the Department of Chemical Toxicology, where he performed laboratory work supporting the revision of the in vivo comet assay (OECD Test Guideline 489) to include analyses of male germ cells.
In 2024, Xiaoxiong joined NILU, working with PROPLANET, an EU Horizon Europe project developing safe, sustainable PFAS-free coatings for textiles, food packaging, and glass, with a focus on health-related toxicology endpoints.
Ann-Karin (Anka) Hardie Olsen
Dr. Ann-Karin (Anka) Olsen is a senior scientist at NILU in the department of Environmental Chemistry and Health Effects.
She is a molecular biologist with expertise in toxicology, with main areas of expertise in genetic toxicology, DNA damage and repair, mutagenesis, DNA sequencing, gene expression, epigenetics, endocrine effects and cancer, with special focus on male germ cells.
She has experience with models from bacteria, yeast, cell models (2C, 3D, stem cells), animal experiments and human cohort studies. She has established several state-of-the-art analysis methods, with a focus on the development of new methodologies, so-called NAMs (New Approach Methods), preferably according to the principle of SSbD (Safe and Sustainable by Design)
Anka started at NILU in 2024 after a long time at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in the Department of Chemical Toxicology as a research professor.
She has led several national and international projects and led the work package on “Biological effects” through 10 years for the Center of Excellence ( CoE/ RCN Sff) Center for Radioactivity, Humans and the Environment (CERAD; 2013-2023. Led by NMBU).
She has long experience in human risk assessment and regulatory toxicology, mainly of consumer products (expert for the European Chemicals Agency ECHA), and food. She is involved in several working groups in the OECD and has contributed to the development of standardized OECD tests for use in chemical regulation. She leads the OECD project for the revision of the in vivo comet assay (OECD Test guideline 489) to include analyses of male germ cells. She is part of the Scientific Committee for Food and the Environment (VKM), participates in several working groups in the Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) and the International Workshops on Genotoxicity Testing (IWGT), and is president of the European Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society (EEMGS).
Jean Froment
Jean Froment is a researcher at the climate and research institute NILU.
Jean has conducted his PhD. at the Norwegian institute of Water Research (NIVA) and University of Oslo (UiO) focusing on Effect-Directed analysis (EDA). His post-doctoral experiences at the UFZ (Leipzig, Germany) and Stockholm University (Sweden) focused on performing nontarget analysis of biological and environmental samples.
Jean’s main research interests include the screening of environmental samples (particulate matter, water…) by chromatography (LC, or GC) coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometers (HRMS). Together with in vitro bioassays, nontarget analysis allows the detection of unexpected toxicants in the environment.
Jean is also passionate about the use of open-source software for the data processing of HRMS data and in silico tools to reveal the chemical composition and structure of unknown features.
William Hartz
Dr. William Hartz is a scientist in the Department of Environmental Chemistry and Health Effects at NILU. He previously completed his PhD at the University of Oxford and University Centre in Svalbard and currently holds an external position at Örebro University in Sweden.
Main research interests:
- Fate of contaminants in glaciers and Arctic environments, including a particular focus on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
- Mechanisms for long-range atmospheric transport of contaminants with a particular focus on polar environments
- Observations from snow and ice cores to understand pollution, climate and glacier dynamics
In recent years, his research has focused on the sources and processes of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the snow and ice on Svalbard. This work has led to the discovery of new Arctic contaminants, observation of high seasonality in PFAS deposition in the Arctic and new understandings about the atmospheric sources of PFAS to the Arctic using an ice core as a record of historical atmospheric deposition.
William is also part of NILU’s atmospheric monitoring team for organic contaminants, using data from several NILU stations such as the Zeppelin Observatory on Svalbard (79°N). Every year they publish a report into the levels of >250 organic contaminants in urban, rural and Arctic air in Norway and Svalbard.
William is available for contact to discuss industry solutions and monitoring for PFAS and other fluorinated contaminants.
Cleo Lisa Davie-Martin
Dr. Cleo Davie-Martin works as a scientist at NILU, posted in Tromsø, Norway.
She has a PhD in Environmental and Analytical Chemistry from the University of Otago, which focused on volatilization processes affecting the local- and global-scale distribution of semi-volatile organic contaminants, including pesticides and brominated flame retardants.
Her subsequent work has focused on the bioremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in contaminated soils, as well as biogenic emissions of volatile organic compounds from Arctic tundra/permafrost and marine ecosystems.
Cleo has a strong background in analytical method development and quantification across a range of contaminant classes and environmental matrices. She has worked extensively with thermal desorption, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry techniques.
At NILU, Cleo is involved with several environmental monitoring projects, as well as digitalization and database-related development and reporting.
Natascha Schmidt
Dr. Natascha Schmidt is a senior scientist at NILU in Tromsø, Norway.
She studied terrestrial and marine ecology and did her PhD in environmental chemistry at the Aix-Marseille University in Southern France. There she worked on the occurrence, transport and fate of microplastics and associated organic contaminants in the marine environment.
Dr. Schmidt is an expert in microplastic research, with a current focus on atmospheric measurements. She is also working on understanding the dynamics of tire wear particles and associated organic contaminants in the environment. Disseminating scientific knowledge to the public, stakeholders and governmental representatives and among the scientific community is one of her priorities.
Erin McFadden
Erin McFadden is a senior engineer at NILU with extensive expertise in 2D and 3D in vitro models and a broad range of biological assays used to evaluate endpoints such as cytotoxicity and genotoxicity. She has contributed to the development and optimization of various in vitro methods, including approaches for studying the effects of oxygen deprivation in brain cells. Erin also plays an important role to the lab's quality system and Good Laboratory Practice (GLP), and is involved in chemical risk assessment processes.
She holds a master's degree in molecular biology, during which she developed a Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (FISH) assay to study kiss1 gene expression in medaka (Oryzias latipes). Through her studies, she gained experience in various molecular techniques and gene expression analysis in model organisms.
Before joining NILU, Erin contributed to melanoma research at Oslo University Hospital (OUS), acquiring valuable experience in biomedical research and cellular analysis. Her interdisciplinary background connects advanced laboratory techniques with toxicological and health-related research.
Tatiana Safonczyk Honza
Tatiana Honza is a scientist at NILU in the department of Environmental Chemistry and Health Effects, with broad experience in cell-based models and toxicological testing. She spends most of her time in the laboratory, where she works with a wide range of cell types in both 2D and advanced 3D models.
She has expertise in in vitro cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, mutagenicity and carcinogenicity tests, as well as experience in assessing the risks associated with nanomaterials and chemicals. Tatiana has in-depth knowledge of in vitro methods and the use of modern analytical tools to map cell and tissue responses.
She actively contributes to projects in nanotoxicology and nanosafety, focusing on regulatory aspects, risk assessment and the development of testing strategies for safer materials.
