Hallo!

I am ESR9, also known as Gabriël Olthof. I grew up in in the Netherlands and studied biology at the University of Leiden. I specialized mostly in marine biology and ecotoxicology. During my studies I became interested in the impact of plastics on our environment and their increasing role in the ecosystem.

I now continue the work that I started during my studies and am investigating the impact of microplastics on freshwater invertebrates. My main goal is to investigate the environmental realism of current and previous toxicological studies. There are many criticisms on these studies, like the use of a limited number of polymers or the unrealistic conditions under which the tests are performed. I will address these issues during my PhD project and will compare the impact of various polymers under different conditions.

Norway is in many ways my dream country to live in: the beautiful nature and welcoming people are two of the main reasons for this. I was very happily surprised with how relaxed many Norwegians seem to be in every part of their life. This creates a very good working environment with a healthy work-life balance. Although I do have to mention that I really miss Dutch cheese and bike paths, I felt immediately at home in Norway in every other way.

Ha det bra!
Gabriël