Dr Rebecca von Hellfeld

External Memberships

• Marine Biology Association (MBA) member
• Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) member
• Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS) member
• STEM ambassador
• External examiner for the Marine Environment MSc (University of the Basque Country)

Prizes and Awards

• Full Erasmus Mundus scholarship for the EMMSc Marine Environment and Resources 2014-2016
• Best Young Researcher Presentation at the European Teratology Society Conference 2019

Research Overview

I have been part of the EU-ToxRisk project during my PhD, which introduced me to collaborating with in vitro  and in silico research groups, whilst working with an in vivo alternative test system myself. From then onwards, I have been fascinated by combining research outputs from different fields to gain a better and more holistic understanding of effects and impacts. My recent work on assessing mercury in offshore oil and gas infrastructure (NDRI project) has further allowed me to work together with industry and take the legislative/political aspects of the topic into consideration.

My overall research interests are centred around works where my work can contribute to improving our understanding of environmental and organismal health impacts of anthropogenic pollution, as well as driving policies and decision making in the future.

Current Research

In the NDRI project on NORM and mercury in offshore oil and gas infrastructure in the Australian basins, I conducted a desktop study focussing in mercury associated with the infrastructure and by-products. Findings from this project were highlighted in various reports, and have developed my understanding for environmental risk assessment and human health implications.

The NDRI project led to the development of an project to assess the potential marine release of mercury into the North Sea. Here, I conducted a literature search to determine the current state of the art, as well as assessing the mercury and methylmercury content of marine mammal organ samples provided by the University of Glasgow's Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS). This work also examines how to predict human health implications for future generations through seafood consumption, as well as potential economic impacts to fisheries industries.

To determine the implications of different environmentally-present mercury species may have on marine organisms, I further obtained funding from the Wellcome trust (internal funding), to conduct a literature review and initial assessment for quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) modelling for mercury, in collaboration with Dr Vargesson (Institute for Medical Sciences).

Past Research

My past research has focused on the effects of microplastic with and without adsorbed contaminants for the health of the marine mussel Mytilus galliprovincialis during my MSc studies. The output of this work was published in 2022, in collaboration with another MSc student.

This led me to my PhD research on the suitability of the zebrafish embryo Danio rerio as an in vivo model organism for human teratogenicity and developmental neurotoxicity testing, as well as ecotoxicology research. This work has been published in various articles over the last years. Some of the findings have highlighted the extensive suitability of already established assays, such as the FET test (OECD TG 236), to detecting developmental neurotoxicity beyond the originally conceived scope.

Knowledge Exchange

I am a STEM ambassador since 2021, supporting students and showcasing the wonders of STEM research. I also volunteer for the German marine protection organisation DEEPWAVE e.V. since 2018, where I assist with insights into scientific findings, translating German texts into English, and participating in events and public engagement.

Collaborations

• Collaboration with 15 project partners as part of the PLASTOX project (A JPI Ocean project addressing the direct and indirect ecotoxicological impacts of microplastics on marine organisms) as part of my MSc thesis in 2016.
• Collaboration with 39 academic and industry-based partners during my PhD between 2017 and 2020, as part of the EU-ToxRisk project (A EU Horizon 2020 funded integrated European flagship programme driving mechanism-based toxicity testing and risk assessment).
• Collaboration with Curtin University (Australia) and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) as part of the National Energy resources Australia (NERA) funded National Decommissioning Research Initiative (NDRI) project assessing the risk of mercury and naturally occurring radioactive material from offshore oil and gas infrastructure in the Australian basins.

Funding and Grants

ISSF@Aberdeen Seed Corn Fund 2023: Mercury toxicity on zebrafish embryos in ecotoxicology QSAR modelling 

Pump priming (Interdisciplinary grant) 2022: Analysis of North Sea marine mammal mercury and methylmercury accumulation

Internal collaborative grant 2022: Decommissioned oil and gas pipeline-associated mercury contamination in the North Sea: Future risks to marine food webs and human health – A proof of concept