A University of Plymouth academic has received a prestigious award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to environmental toxicology.
Awadhesh Jha, Professor in Genetic Toxicology and Ecotoxicology, has been selected to receive the Jim Parry Award from the UK Environmental Mutagenesis Society (UKEMS). The biennial award was established in 2011 in honour of a pioneer in the field of genetic toxicology, with the winners chosen by the Society’s Committee.
Professor Jha, who heads the University’s Environmental and Applied Biology Research Group, is a leading expert on assessing the impacts of chemicals, radiation and other stressors – including some of the most pressing priority and emerging pollutants – on the environment.
Adopting multidisciplinary approaches, Professor Jha’s research involves the elucidation of fundamental mechanisms of toxicity including the assessment of genetic damage induced by environmental stressors on biological systems.
He has developed many novel methods to assess the hazards and risks posed by man-made pollutants, particularly on aquatic organisms, and his work also promotes developments of alternative methods to reduce the use of live fish for biological studies.
Professor Jha’s work has been funded by the European Union, government bodies, industry, charities and other organisations and has been highly valued by industry and regulatory bodies.