Coffee break catch-up with Gareth Le Page 

 

ENV: Tell us a bit about yourself and your journey into ecotoxicology/ environmental research and consultancy

GLP: Starting out in marine ecology I became increasingly interested in the ecotoxicological effects of chemicals on wildlife populations. This led me into doing a MSc and for which my thesis was part of a project investigating the effects of clotrimazole on inbred and outbred zebrafish. Off the back of this work, I became a study director at Brixham Environmental Laboratory working on all aquatic species but building a particular expertise in the algae and invertebrates. Here I was incredibly lucky to be mentored by some of the best experts in the field.

The work I most enjoyed was designing and carrying out the bespoke studies required to address questions on some of the more challenging substances and in the research and development of new test systems. After five years as a study director, I changed direction and undertook a PhD at the University of Exeter and supported by AstraZeneca looking at the species sensitivity differences between cyanobacteria exposed to antibiotics and considering what implications this had for the ERA of antibiotics more generally.

Following a couple of postdoctoral projects, I moved back into industry working for BattelleUK as an ecotoxicologist and risk assessor, putting my practical skills at the bench as a study director and research interests together to support the risk assessments of agrochemicals, with a particular enjoyment in the more challenging problems that require more bespoke and ‘out of the box’ thinking. Here I also seem to have transitioned to a growing interest in the terrestrial compartments compared to my aquatic background – maybe a result of my love for growing my own food for my family in our allotment….

 

ENV: What inspired you to join the Enviresearch team?

GLP: For me, Enviresearch is an exciting company to have joined as they are well known to specialise in dealing with some of the more complicated problems that require a more bespoke approach. This really appeals to my academic background and the part of my personality that likes to step back to think of problems more holistically and then get into the nitty gritty of the problem solving. I think Enviresearch is a good company to help me grow and specialise further in these issues and provide a good platform to be at the forefront of new ecotoxicological developments and regulatory demands.

 

ENV: What does Environmental advocacy mean to you and how does this align with the company’s goals?

GLP: It’s the protection of the environment and its ecosystems via increasing our understanding of them and using this information to inform the public and build solid scientifically robust arguments and stories that influence governance and businesses.

 

ENV: What projects are you hoping to explore during your time in Enviresearch?

GLP: I’m pretty happy working on any project – but it’s the trickier and/or future development of ERA processes that I’m looking forward to the most

 

ENV: How do you see regulatory frameworks evolving in the coming years, especially with the increasing focus on sustainability and environmental health?

GLP: Broadly speaking, it’s clear that we are in times where our scientific understanding of how our ecosystems work and our impact as humans upon them is exponentially growing.  This, with the increasing need to be (and public expectation that we can be) environmentally responsible in finding solutions to support food producers with new tools means we can expect the regulatory frameworks to support and prioritise products that do this best.

This probably means biopesticides and bio stimulants will increase their market share and current ongoing high level discussions are a reflection of this. And on the ecotox front… as we upgrade our risk assessments at the taxa level, the level of complexity is likely to increase – this is already demonstrated in the evolution of the new EFSA bee GD and what is currently being discussed for the upgrade in NTAs guidance.  I also expect that effects modelling will become a more important tool for us too.

 

ENV: Finally, when you’re not solving complex ecotoxicological problems, what do you like to do with you spare time?

GLP: Mainly I like being outdoors – whether that’s up at the allotment or out on walks over Dartmoor or along the rivers or coastline we have down here in the SW.  I also love playing and touring with the band I play in (Land of the Giants – coming to a town near you!). 

ENV: Thanks for your time Gareth and welcome to the team!