SAFENANO - Meet the team

Meet the SAFENANO team

SAFENANO’s team of physical and life sciences experts brings together multidisciplinary knowledge and expertise in nanosafety, particle characterisation, exposure assessment, toxicology, occupational hygiene and risk assessment.

Click the links below to read more about each staff member.

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Rob Aitken: Director

Dr Rob Aitken is Director of Strategic Consulting at the Institute ofOccupational Medicine (IOM) and the Director of the SAFENANO initiative. As Director of Strategic Consulting for IOM, Rob leads IOM’s workprogram on nanotechnology risk which currently encompasses eight EU framework projects, a series of major public reviews for Government Departments in the UK and elsewhere as well as other research or consultancy activities. He is also the co-ordinator of SnIRC, a multidisciplinary research collaboration working on nanoparticle risk issues which include Edinburgh Napier University and Edinburgh University.

Rob’s main scientific interests are in exposure and risk assessment and he has contributed more than 50 publications on these issues. He is on the advisory board of numerous industrial, academic and government organisations including the NANOfutures European Technology Platform, INSCX (Integrated Nano-Science & Commodity Exchange) and the Institute of Nanotechnology. He sits on two of the UK Government Task Forces managing their response to the Royal Society Report. In addition he is Principal UK Expert to ISO 299 WG3, Nanotechnologies: Safety, Health and Environment and a Member of FP7 Nanotechnologies Program Expert Advisory Group. Rob is also an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Nanotechnology and is an Honorary Teaching Fellow at Edinburgh Napier University.

Rob currently leads two of the three REACH implementation projects on nanomaterials (RIP-oNs) for the European Commission.

Contact Rob: rob@safenano.org

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Bryony Ross: Editor

Bryony Ross is a Research Scientist at the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) and Editor of SAFENANO. After graduating from Edinburgh University in 2005 with a BSc Hons Physiology, Bryony joined the IOM’s Strategic Consulting Division in 2006.

Since then, she has been heavily involved with the development of SAFENANO and was appointed editor of the initiative in early 2007. Bryony works on a variety of IOM's nanotechnology EHS projects, including EU FP7 projects ObservatoryNANO, NanoTEST, NanoImpactNet, ENPRA, MARINA & Nanommune. Bryony has been a contributing author to a number of major research pieces, including:

• REACH Implementation Project on Nanomaterials ‘REACH-NanoInfo’ (technical author for toxicology aspects)

• ObservatoryNANO Technology Sector EHS reviews (Lead author of several reviews, management of Environment Health & Safety Work Package)

• ‘ENRHES’ - Engineered Nanoparticles: Review of Health and Environmental Safety (author – fate & behaviour of nanoparticles).

• 'EMERGNANO' - Investigating & appraising the state of the art in nano EHS Research worldwide (lead role in information management and contributing author)

• 'CELL PEN' - Examining penetration & translocation of NPs through cells within the body (contributing author)

In addition, Bryony is currently involved with a variety of other work within the Institute, from Occupational Exposure Level setting for Hazardous Substances to collating evidence for Expert Witness cases, and has also undertaken a Masters in Toxicology in post.

Contact Bryony: bryony@safenano.org

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Sheona Peters: Associate Editor

Sheona Peters (MChem Hons, AMRSC) is a Research Scientist at the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) in Edinburgh. Since joining IOM, Sheona has been involved in a range of nanotechnology health & safety consultancy, including assisting with the continued development of the SAFENANO initiative, for which she is now Associate Editor. Sheona was a contributing author to the ENRHES report (Engineered Nanoparticles – Review of Health and Environmental Safety) and has recently completed work on EU FP7 project NANEX, which aimed to develop exposure scenarios for manufactured nanomaterials in the context of REACH. Sheona is currently heavily involved in the REACH Implementation Projects on Nanomaterials REACH-NanoInfo and REACH-NanoHazEx, playing a key role in information management and as technical author of physico-chemical aspects, and is assisting with coordination of the NANOfutures Safety Research Working Group.

In addition to nanotechnology-focussed work, Sheona is also involved with a variety of other work within the IOM, includingREACH consultancy, chemical risk assessment and the development of a database of international occupational exposure limits. Sheona has also played a key role in an EC-funded project to aid streamlining of the European environmental asbestos Directive, as well as contributing to various expert witness contracts and coordinating the IOM’s international proficiency testing scheme 'AFRICA'.

Contact Sheona: sheona.peters@iom-world.org

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Peter Ritchie: System Design & Management

Peter is Head of Information Systems Section at the IOM, in charge of a team that manages all ICT systems, services and strategy. He is responsible for the technical design and development of the SAFENANO website and databases, involving the latest active server technology, and exploitintg the best of recent interactive and community based web features on the site.

Besides the SAFENANO project itself and scientific interests in nanotechnology health, safety and environment, he is also involved in several other research projects, systems, and application developments. With a scientific background in biology and ecology he worked for several years on environmental research projects before moving further into the development of IT systems for the conduct and analysis of large scale educational and medical studies.

At the IOM he has led or contributed to many research projects including the development of database and software applications for epidemiological and occupational health studies, as well as the implementation of chemical, pesticide, fibre and particle exposure data management systems for risk, hazard assessment and reduction.

Contact Peter: peter@safenano.org

Lang Tran: Expert Consultant

Dr C Lang Tran is Director of Quantitiative Toxicology at the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM). With over 16 years experience in the fields of toxicology and ecotoxicology, he has contributed over 50 peer reviews.

A researcher at the forefront of particle toxicology, he has been heavily involved in the evolution of Nanoparticle Toxicology as a research field. He currently leads EU FP7 project ENPRA and EU FP6 project PARTICLE_RISK, both of which are investigating the toxicological properties of nanoparticles, and is also involved with FP7 projects NanoTEST, Nanommune and NanoImpactNet. He is a founding member of SnIRC, the Safety of Nanomaterials Interdisciplinary Research Centre.

Dr Tran has been involved in the writing of several major Government reviews of nanotechnology, including reports from DEFRA and HSE. He is involved in collaborative work into nanotoxicology QSAR Modelling with the JRC, and with NIOSH on Nanotechnology Risk Assessment, and was co-author of the HARN and CELL PEN reports, examining risks of high aspect nanomaterials (HARN), and penetration & translocation of NPs through cells within the body (CELL PEN).

Contact Lang: lang.tran@iom-world.org

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Steve Hankin: Director of Operations

Steve Hankin is SAFENANO's Director of Operations and a Senior Consultant in Chemical Risk Assessment.

After acquiring his BSc and PhD degrees in Chemistry, Steve was awarded a National Science & Engineering Research Council Visiting Fellowship at the National Research Council of Canada's Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences. He returned to the UK following the award of a NERC post-doctoral fellowship held at the University of Glasgow, continue research on state-of-the-art laser analysis of chemicals on atmospheric particles. In 1999, Steve took up a position as a Research Scientist in the Environmental Health section of Health Protection Scotland. He trained further in Medical Toxicology and Epidemiology and led a number of public health toxicology initiatives associated with the surveillance, control and response to hazardous materials exposures. In 2007, he moved to the Institute of Occupational Medicine.

Following his appointment as SAFENANO's Director of Operations in 2009, Steve leads the development and provision of Scientific Services in occupational hygiene, toxicology, risk assessment and training.

As a Senior Consultant in Chemical Risk Assessment, he continues to provide expertise to clients on the hazard characterisation, exposure assessment, and risk management of chemical substances, including regulatory compliance under REACH.

Contact Steve: steve@safenano.org

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Vicki Stone: Director of Toxicology

Vicki Stone is based at Heriot-Watt University where she is responsible for directing research into the toxicological mechanisms by which engineered and environmental nanoparticles, as well as air pollutant particles and gases, cause adverse health effects.

Current projects investigate the mechanism of toxicity of a range of nanoparticles following inhalation or ingestion, employing a variety of different target cell types from the immune system (macrophages), liver (hepatocytes), gastrointestinal tract (epithelium), cardiovascular system (endothelium) and lung (epithelium). Projects also investigate interactions between nanoparticles and proteins and how this influences toxicity, and development of in vitro alternatives using microfluidics. In addition Vicki collaborates with ecotoxicologists to investigate the impacts of nanoparticles on aquatic invertebrates.

Contact Vicki: vicki@safenano.org

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Craig Poland: Research Toxicologist

Craig Poland joined the SAFENANO team as a research toxicologist in 2010 with expertise in particle and fibre toxicology. Craig graduated with an MSc in Biomedical sciences in 2005 from Edinburgh Napier University before undertaking a PhD as a COLT Foundation Fellow at The University of Edinburgh. His research work has investigated the toxicology of nanomaterials with particular emphasis on high aspect ratio (fibrous) nanomaterials which it has been hypothesised may a pose a risk of causing diseases such as those seen with another industrial fibre, asbestos. His work has received international recognition and he has been invited to speak at numerous scientific meetings (American Thoracic Society, NanoOEH, IPX), Government departments (HSE, DEFRA) and committees (WATCH).

Craig's research interests in understanding how engineered nanomaterials might cause disease at the cellular level are a key part of how SAFENANO can help industries’ safe and responsible development of beneficial nano-products. He has a particular interest in the development of nano-based therapeutics, or 'nano-medicines', and in using hazard data in risk management strategies to support the responsible use of nanomaterials.

Contact Craig: craig.poland@iom-world.org

Gordon Fern: Consultant Scientist

After graduating with a BSc in Chemistry in 1994, he spent 13 years in the chemical industry working for the large multi-nationals Diageo, Ciba and BASF. During this time, he has held positions as Analytical Laboratory Manager, Quality Manager and Technical Marketing Manager where project management and business development were major aspects of his responsibilities.

His current focus within SAFENANO is the development and implementation of SAFENANO’s Scientific Services, including laboratory and on-site particle measurement and characterisation to support knowledge based risk assessment of nanoparticles.

Contact Gordon: gordon.fern@iom-world.org

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Julia Varet: Toxicologist

Julia Varet is a toxicologist with expertise in the testing of nanoparticles using a range of in vitro techniques. After graduating with a MSc in Cellular Biology from the Université de Rouen in 2001, she undetrook a PhD on angiogenesis and its pharmacological regulation by drugs or gene therapy, in cancer and vascular diseases.

Following completion, she worked as a Research Assistant in Bristol, on acute respiratory distress syndrome, focussing on the vascular endothelial growth factor in alveolar-capillary membrane damage and repair. She gained experience of working in an accredited clinical biochemistry laboratory as part of the NHS, before joining the SAFENANO team as a staff scientist in 2008.

Julia's remit in SAFENANO is the delivery of client-focussed toxicity testing and the further development of relevant tests to assess the in vitro toxicity of nanomaterials at a GLP standard.

Contact Julia: julia.varet@iom-world.org

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