Quantifying community metabolomes within model freshwater ecosystems and their responses to pollutants

Career overview

Professor Mark Viant completed a BSc in Chemistry in 1991 and a PhD in Chemical Physics in 1994, both at the University of Southampton. Following his studies, he spent nearly ten years in the USA, starting as a Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of California (UC) Berkeley, where he focused on chemistry. He then became a postdoctoral researcher and later an independent faculty member at UC Davis, specialising in environmental toxicology. During his time at UC Davis, he pioneered the application of metabolomics to address environmental health issues in aquatic organisms. In 2003, Professor Viant relocated to the University of Birmingham as a NERC Advanced Fellow, tasked with advancing metabolomics in environmental toxicology. With support from various funding bodies, including NERC, BBSRC, MRC, Wellcome Trust, and the EU, he established a significant research group dedicated to environmental metabolomics. He was appointed Reader in Metabolomics in 2008, became the Director of the NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility for Metabolomics in 2009, and secured his current Chair in Metabolomics in 2010. His leadership in the field was recognised when he served as President of the international Metabolomics Society from 2012 to 2014 and was awarded Lifetime Honorary Fellowship in 2015. In 2013, he received the Joseph Chamberlain Award for Academic Advancement from the University of Birmingham for his contributions to metabolomics research.

Research interests

Professor Mark Viant''s research focuses on metabolomics and its application in environmental toxicology. His work includes method development in analytical chemistry and bioinformatics, as well as the discovery of toxicity pathways for chemicals, drugs, and nanomaterials. He aims to accelerate the creation of Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOPs) through the validation of metabolic Key Events. His laboratory also develops analytical and bioinformatics methods to enhance metabolomics research, including automating sample preparation and improving mass spectrometry techniques. A significant project under his supervision is the Deep Metabolome Annotation (DMA), which seeks to characterise the metabolome of *Daphnia magna*, a model organism for ecotoxicology. Additionally, he is involved in standardising metabolomics practices for regulatory toxicology, collaborating with various organisations to establish best practices and reporting standards.

Prof J B Brown's profile is coming soon

Career overview

Professor John Kenneth Colbourne joined the faculty of the University of Birmingham in 2012, where he holds the inaugural Chair of Environmental Genomics. He obtained his PhD in evolutionary biology from the University of Guelph in 1999. Following his doctoral studies, he was awarded a NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship, which allowed him to begin genomics research first at the University of Oregon and then at the University of Indiana. At the University of Indiana, he served as the Genomics Director of the Centre for Genomics and Bioinformatics from 2005 until 2012. During this period, he was instrumental in pioneering the application of genomics in the study of evolutionary ecology and toxicology, primarily using the freshwater crustacean *Daphnia* as a model system to explore gene-environment interactions. This research contributed to *Daphnia* being designated as a model species for biomedical research by the US National Institutes of Health. In addition to his academic role, Professor Colbourne is an Adjunct Professor at the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory and a founding member of several consortia, including the *Daphnia* Genomics Consortium and the Shanghai Consortium for Environmental Genomics and Toxicology. He serves as Section Editor for BMC Genomics and is the founding Editor of the journal Ecological and Environmental Genomics, which is set to launch in 2013. His work has involved collaboration with industry and advising government agencies to enhance environmental monitoring and protection practices through high-throughput molecular biology methods. In recognition of his contributions to the field, he co-chaired the Gordon Research Conference on Ecological and Evolutionary Genomics in 2012-13 and received the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award.

Research interests

Professor Colbourne''s research encompasses evolutionary ecology, high-throughput biology, environmental and functional genomics. His work focuses on connecting gene expression and genome structure with individual fitness and population-level responses to environmental challenges. He aims to develop *Daphnia* into a super-model organism to advance Environmental Genomics, which uses interdisciplinary approaches to understand the genetic mechanisms underlying physiological and adaptive responses of organisms to their environment. His group''s investigations include the functional mechanisms of phenotypic plasticity, the genetic basis of evolutionary adaptation within natural populations, and the potential of aquatic organisms to counter chemical threats in the environment. Professor Colbourne has pioneered the application of genomics for the study of evolutionary ecology and toxicology, primarily using *Daphnia* as a model system to study gene-environment interactions. His research also involves high-throughput molecular biology methods to transform practices in monitoring and protecting the environment.