Partner 21: Masaryk University

Partner description

Masaryk University is the second largest university in the Czech Republik and the most successful EU Horizon 2020 applicant, currently implementing almost 66 H2020 projects, including 3 ERC projects. About 50% of the scientific output of the whole MU (21,000 papers in last 10 years) was created in the Faculty of Science (FoS) which is a research-oriented faculty expanding the scientific knowledge and supporting the rapid transfer of innovative contributions to practice.

The Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX) of FoS MU focuses on the research and education in the area of Environmental sciences. It addresses interactions among chemicals, environment, and biological systems, including consequences at local, regional, and global levels. New approaches to study environmental distribution, transport, bioaccumulation, and effects of contaminants are being developed incorporating human exposure and risk assessment, pharmacokinetic modelling, or biostatics. In-house expertise for assessment of the external and internal exposures was developed and applied in the large-scale monitoring programmes. Wide range of toxicological methods and expertise for the environmental and human risks assessment and management was also established.

Website:  http://www.muni.cz

Role in the project

MU will co-lead WP5, health impact and risk assessment, more on the environment perspective, and has a Case study site, CSS8-Czech Republic. MU will also perform eco-toxicological assays and analysis of PPP residues. MU will be then closely involved on both WP2 & WP4, namely on task 2.3 (functions of soil microorganisms), task 4.1 (assessment of effects of PPP mixtures on terrestrial organisms), and task 4.3 (trophic transfer and bio-amplification).

Involved personnel

	Prof. dr. Jakub Hofman is head of the Soil Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology group with >20 years of experience in soil environmental chemistry, ecotoxicology, environmental monitoring, soil microbiology, environmental protection, ecological risk assessment and a broad spectrum of pesticide-related topics. In SPRINT, he is coordinating WP5 together with Anke Huss and he is responsible for the development of the Toolbox, mainly the tools related to the estimation of pesticides’ inputs and the assessment of ecotoxicological effects and risks. He also coordinates Task 4.1 focused on ecotoxicological testing of PPP mixtures. He is responsible for the Czech CSS activities.
	Dr. Paula da Silva Tourinho  is a postdoc researcher at RECETOX with expertise in terrestrial ecotoxicology. Her role in SPRINT is to conduct ecotoxicological tests within WP4. The effects of PPP mixtures from the 11 CSS will be tested on terrestrial plants, microbes, and springtails. She will also conduct microcosm tests to assess PPP mixture toxicity to native earthworms, plants, and microbes.
	Dr. Zuzana Bílková is an analytical chemist specializing in chromatographic techniques coupled to mass spectrometry. She has experience in the analysis of pesticides and steroids in feed and environmental samples. In SPRINT for WP2, she is responsible for PPP residue analysis in soil, earthworm and plant samples.
	Shiva Sabzevari is a researcher and former PhD student of the Soil Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology group at RECETOX, MU. She has experience in analytical, physical, and environmental chemistry. Her role in SPRINT, as a part of WP5, is collaboration on Toolbox development in terms of estimation of pesticide’s input into the environment and assessment of their fate, ecotoxicological effects, and risks. Additionally, She has been involved in assessment of human dietary exposure to pesticides since March 2022, in cooperation with WP5 partners at IRAS, Utrecht university.
	Artur Radomyski