New dissertation within One Health: We congratulate Sebastian Pineda!
Last changed: 20 January 2025
Recently, Sebastian Pineda successfully defended his thesis. We took the opportunity to ask some questions about his research and future plans.
Hi Sebastian, who are you, and what is your research about?
“I recently defended my PhD in Toxicology last October. My thesis focused on investigating the current status of complex chemical mixtures exposure in Swedish adolescents using epidemiological methods.
Usually, research in this field focuses on single compounds or groups of compounds, which provides a limited overview of potential associations and negative health effects. However, this does not reflect real life, where we are constantly exposed to multiple different chemicals simultaneously. Additionally, what if chemicals with marginal individual effects can accumulate to cause noticeable negative health effects in a population when assessed as a whole? These are the types of questions we attempt to answer in the thesis.”
How does your research align with the One Health concept, and in what ways can it contribute to a more sustainable and socially impactful world?
“The four major sections of One Health are plants, animals, people, and the environment. My thesis research touches on all four, as we investigated chemical exposure in a human population, which primarily comes from the plants and animals we eat or the environment where we live. For example, in one of the studies included in the thesis, we identified significant differences in exposure depending on where a person or their mother was born, along with gender differences and even geographical differences within Sweden.”
What are your plans now after your PhD?
“I will continue to work with SLU until April to finish several projects associated with my thesis. Afterwards, I hope to enter the wider industry as a researcher, epidemiologist, or data scientist.”
We wish Sebastian the best of luck in his future career!