Partner Profile

Environmental Nanoscience group at the University of Birmingham


Areas of Expertise

The Environmental Nanoscience team’s ambition is to identify key properties of engineered nanomaterials (NMs) linked to their fate and environmental impacts for safety, regulation and environmental applications including remediation, biogeoengineering and ecosystems services. Our focus is on translating science to policy, including by providing thought leadership on implementable regulatory strategies, making contributions to standardisation and engaging with a diverse panel of stakeholders across the EU.

Recent Publications

Research Interests
  • Nanomaterials design and labelling: The focus here is on control of nanomaterial physical-chemical properties for the development of systematically varied libraries of NMs in order to identify those properties directly linked to toxicity or reactivity. This knowledge allows us to develop safer-by-design nanomaterials and design optimal properties for a range of environmental applications, including remediation, biogeoengineering and enhancement of ecosystems services;
  • Nanomaterials characterisation and modelling: We focus on multi-method characterisation of nanomaterials, including method and protocol development, for pristine nanomaterials, nanomaterials in complex environments, and assessment of nanomaterials ageing and environmental transformations, such as during wastewater treatment, following uptake by organisms and in aquatic and soil environments as well as modelling processes such as dissolution and interactions with biomolecules;
  • Nanomaterial-environment interactions: The focus here is on tracking and quantifying nanomaterials interaction, uptake and localisation in a range of relevant species, including cells, biofilms, Daphnia magna and others. Key aspects are understanding and prediction of nanomaterials’ ecological ‘corona’ or interactions with secreted biomolecules (proteins, polysaccharides, etc.) from daphnia, biofilms, zebrafish embryo, cells etc. and the subsequent impact of these transformations on nanomaterials uptake, localisation and impacts; and
  • Nanomaterials regulation and standardisation: The group has a very strong focus on translation from science to policy, including efforts towards standardisation of methods, assays and protocols and standardisation of nanomaterials and libraries. We are involved in the development of a range of tools and regulatory frameworks, including Quantitative Structure Activity Relationships (QSARs), grouping and read-across strategies, ontologies, and tools for hazard, exposure and risk assessment.