Magnus Breitholtz is a professor of Ecotoxicology; his overall research focus is on improving risk assessment of environmental contaminants. The main ambition is to seek more relevant and sensitive test methods and biomarkers, as well as to link effects at the laboratory scale to the situation in the field in order to better predict or describe contaminant effects in the environment.
He primarily works with zooplankton, such as copepods and daphnids, where he seeks to establish links between different levels of biological organization (e.g. cellular, molecular and population) and to develop novel ecotoxicological tests and approaches, including integrated biochemical and genetic analysis. To increase the ecological realism of this work, he has over the last years become increasingly interested in the application of population-modelling tools. Since ecotoxicology is not only about effects but also about exposure, he is also trying to understand implications of different exposure routes, bioaccumulation and chemical partitioning, especially related to aquatic toxicity testing of poorly water-soluble substances.
Regulatory work is another important aspect of his work. Here the ambition is to improve the scientific basis of risk assessment and management and to strengthen the protection of the environment against harmful effects of chemicals. He has also been an international project leader for the development and validation of a proposal for a harpacticoid copepod development and reproduction OECD test guideline.