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Louis Tremblay is an environmental toxicologist with the New Zealand Bioeconomy Science Institute. His science specialties include toxicology, mechanisms of toxicity, physiology and biomarkers. Louis has interests in environmental protection, human health and food safety, and the education of the community to raise awareness about the impacts our activities pose to the environment. His research uses a combination of traditional ecotoxicology methodologies and novel omics approaches to characterise the mechanisms of toxicity of pollutants in New Zealand native species.

Louis' lab has developed and validated the use of copepod, mussel and algal species for ecotoxicological studies. His contaminants research is recognised through providing advice and research to Regional Councils, industry and Māori and through media interviews on pollution issues. He uses a One Health research approach based on the integration of the quadruple bottom line (environmental, economic, social and cultural) to develop acceptable environmental management options.

Louis has a special interest in weaving indigenous knowledge and values into novel frameworks to manage chemical and wastes.

Grant is an experienced analytical and environmental chemist specialising in identifying the sources, transport and fate, and impacts of organic chemicals in receiving environments. Grant began his professional career at the DSIR marine and freshwater division and The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research as a laboratory technician at the University of Lancaster School of Environmental and Biological Science as a PhD student and Post-Doc, and Hort Research and The Institute of Plant and Food Research. Since 2012 Grant has been an independent researcher and director of Northcott Research Consultants.

Grant has been instrumental in developing methods to sample and analyse Emerging Organic Contaminants (EOCs) and establishing a NZ research capability to investigate EOCs. His expertise and knowledge of EOCs is sought by Research Institutes, Universities, Councils, Regional Councils, Government Departments, industry, consulting businesses, media, and the broader public.

Grant co-led the ESR hosted five-year MBIE Endeavour Research Program assessing the Impacts of microplastics on New Zealand’s bioheritage systems, environments and ecoservices, within which he led the chemistry objective assessing plastic additives.

Dr Peter Dawson is employed by New Zealand’s Environmental Protection Authority, the Government’s chemicals regulator, as Principal Scientist of hazardous substances. He has a PhD in chemistry and has wide-ranging experience in the risk assessment and development of policy and legislation relating to the management of chemicals.

Dr Dawson is currently the Chair of the Stockholm Convention POPs Review Committee (POPRC) and was previously a member of the Rotterdam Convention Chemical Review Committee (CRC). He has represented New Zealand on Basel Convention working groups, and also for many years on the United Nations Sub-Committee of Experts on the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). He is also a member of the HEPA National Chemicals Working Group.

Shaun is the Hazardous Substances Reassessments Manager for the NZ EPA, which is the department responsible for reviewing the substances approved for use in New Zealand. This covers group standards, which regulates broad groups of chemicals, such as cosmetics. He has extensive experience in regulatory affairs, and previous to the NZ EPA held various roles in BASF SE in Germany and the European Chemical Industry Council in Belgium. He holds a PhD in chemistry from the Ruhr-University, Germany.