Ivo Roessink

Dr ir Ivo Roessink is a senior scientist and project leader of the experimental group within the Environmental Risk Assessment team of Wageningen Environmental Research. He studied Environmental Sciences at Wageningen University and during his PhD investigated the impact of contaminants on shallow freshwater ecosystems in floodplain lakes in The Netherlands. Currently, he is still working on the impact of stressors on the environment. In order to do so, he develop new methods to assess risks of both chemical (e.g. pesticides, biocides, and pharmaceuticals), biological (e.g., invasive species) and other anthropogenic stressors (e.g., climate change) for both the aquatic and terrestrial environment. These projects include a broad range of species, including aquatic invertebrates, plants, turtles, crayfish, but also extend to pollinators and other terrestrial non-target arthropods. The common denominator for all these species of interest, is that all research focuses on the relation between ecology and their possible exposure to stressors. The main objective is to go beyond finding mere correlations, and to find mechanistic explanations for the processes occurring in our environment. Doing so results in clear handles and roadmaps thus allowing actual changes to be made improving our environment and quality of life.