Staff
Rik Eggen
Prof. Dr. Rik Eggen
About Me
Education and degrees
| 2004-to date | Adjunct Professor, ETH Zürich, Switzerland. |
| 1984-1988 | Ph.D, Department of molecular biology, Wageningen Agricultural University, Wageningen, The Netherlands (Dr. rer. nat.). |
| 1978-1984 | M.Sc. in Biology (majors in molecular biology and cell biology, minor in microbiology), Nijmegen University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. |
Professional Experience
| 2023-to date | Member of directorate, Eawag, Switzerland |
| 2007-2022 | Deputy director, Eawag, Switzerland |
| 2005-2007 | Member of directorate, Eawag, Switzerland |
| 2004-to date | Adjunct professor in environmental toxicology, ETH Zürich, Switzerland |
| 2000-2007 | Head department of environmental toxicology, Eawag, Switzerland |
| 1996-2000 | Head department of environmental microbiology, Eawag, Switzerland |
| 1999-to date | Lecturer at ETH Zürich, Switzerland. |
| 1994-to date | Senior Scientist Eawag, Dübendorf, Switzerland. |
| 1992-1994 | Senior Researcher and Lecturer, Department of Microbiology, Wageningen Agricultural University, Wageningen, The Netherlands. |
| 1988-1992 | Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Microbiology, Wageningen Agricultural University, The Netherlands. |
| 1984-1988 | Research Assistant, Department of Molecular Biology, Wageningen Agricultural University, The Netherlands. |
Professional Activities
| 2014-to date | Member of Scientific Advisory Board, Tareno Waterfund AG, Basel |
| 2013-to date | Member international peer review panel BE-Basic Dutch Scientific programme (yearly R&D budget 45 Mio Euro) |
| Aug 2012/Jan 2013 | NL-CH exchange on innovation in the waste water sector. Member of delegation. |
| 2012-2015 | Member of the board of the Solaqua Foundation |
| 2011-to date | Scientific expert committee EU project EuroEcotox. |
| 2011-to date | Member of the steering board of the Swiss Environmental Protection Agency for a large scale project on “ diffuse pollution”. |
| 2010-to date | Steering group SAP4Four |
| 2010 | Invited participant, workshop on water research horizon for the development of a new water research strategy in Germany, Berlin, Germany |
| 2009-to date | Member of the Scientific Advisory Board BLW-Agroscope |
| 2008-to date | Vice Chairman of the board of GlaTec Technology Centre |
| 2008-to date | Member of the Board of directors of the centre for applied ecotoxicology in Switzerland. |
| 2008 | Invited participant, workshop on gaps in pollution sciences towards the development of new research strategies in pollution sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark |
| 2007-to date | Deputy Director of Eawag. |
| 2007-2008 | Chairman Taskforce to establish the centre for applied ecotoxicology in Switzerland. |
| 2007 | Co-organizer Latsis symposium September 17-19, 2007 - Research frontiers in Environment and Sustainability, ETH Zürich, Switzerland. |
| 2006-to date | Member of the steering board of the Swiss Environmental Protection Agency for a large scale project on “ the reduction of the entrance of micropollutants in ecosystems”. |
| 2006-2008 | Member of the Management Committee of the Competence Centre Environment and Sustainability (CCES) in the ETH domain. |
| 2005-2009 | Co-coordinator of the EC-funded “FaceIt” project (Total volume 4,049,011 Euro). |
| 2005-2007 | Member of the Eawag directorate. |
| 2004-2007 | Head, Research division Environmental Toxicology at the Eawag. |
| 2004-2005 | Head (ad interim) Research division Environmental Microbiology at the Eawag. |
| 2004-2013 | Vice-president competence centre for xenobiotic and environmental risk research Zürich (XERR). |
| 2003-2005 | Member strategic planning committee at the Eawag. |
| 2002-2003 | Member “Unterrichtskommission” for the development of a new curriculum at the “centre for environmental studies”, ETH Zürich. |
| 2000-2004 | Head, Research division Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Ecotoxicology at the Eawag. |
| 2000-2007 | Member of the project management-team of the multidisciplinary Querproject “Novaquatis” at Eawag (total volume 1’260’000 SFr.). |
| 1999-2004 | Member Leitungsausschuss of the competence center for xenobiotic and environmental risk research Zürich (XERR). |
| 1999-2002 | Co-coordination (with Marc Suter) of Eawag participation in EC-funded “COMPREHEND” project (Total volume of 720’000 SFr.). |
| 1999 | Member of the reorganization committee at the Eawag. |
| 1998-2004 | Member of Expertgroup "Wirkungsbezogene Verfahren zur Gewässerbewertung" im Hauptausschuss II der Fachgruppe Wasserchemie, Gesellschaft für deutscher Chemiker. |
| 1998-1999 | Member Task Force for the preparation of a new phase of the Indo-Swiss Collaboration in Biotechnology (ISCB). |
| 1997-2004 | Member of the coordinationgroup Hauptausschusses II “ Stoffe und Gewassergüte”, Gesellschaft für deutscher Chemiker. |
| 1997-1998 | Projectleader on an interdisciplinary Eawag project to diminish a crayfish Procambarus clarkii population in the Schübelweiher, a small lake near Zürich. |
| 1996-2000 | Head of the department of Microbiology at the Eawag. |
| 1995-1999 | Chairman Forum for Ecotoxicology at the Eawag. |
| 1994-2008 | Head research group molecular ecotoxicology at the Eawag. |
| 1993 | Chairman Organization Committee International Symposium "Microbes in Engineered Ecosystems", Wageningen, The Netherlands. |
| 1993 | Guest Editor special issue of FEMS Microbiology Reviews. |
| 1984-1994 | Leader Isotope Laboratory, Departments of Molecular Biology (1984-1988) and Microbiology (1988-1994). |
| 1988-1994 | Leader Recombinant DNA Laboratory, Department of Microbiology. |
Major research interest
- Assessment and mechanistic understanding of effect of aquatic chemical pollution on environmental and human health, development of mitigation strategies.
- Multiple stressor effects.
- Molecular stress responses ((photo)-oxidative stress, DNA damage, developmental toxicology).
- Functional toxicogenomics.
- Development of mechanism-based effect assessment tools (biomarkers, biosensors, arrays).
Teaching activities
| 2013 | PEAK Course lecturer at the Eawag on: “Die Wasser Expertise”. |
| 2012-to date | Lecturer at PhD skill course, ETHZ. |
| 2011 | PEAK Course lecturer at the Eawag on: “Die Wasser Expertise der Eawag”. |
| 2008-to date | Lecturer at ETHZ: Practical course: Molecular Ecotoxicology. |
| 2007 | Lecturer at ETHZ: Practical course: Molecular Ecology and Ecotoxicology. |
| 2007-to date | Lecturer at ETHZ: Advanced Ecotoxicology. |
| 2002-to date | Lecturer at ETHZ: Grundlagen in der Ökotoxikologie. |
| 2003-2006 | Lecturer at ETHZ: Mechanisms in toxicology. |
| 2002 | Lecturer at COETOX (collaboration in ecotoxicology, EPFL-Eawag): endocrine disruption, mechanisms, screening methods and strategies, cases. |
| 2001 | PEAK Course co-leader and lecturer at the Eawag on: “biologische Mikroanalytik in Umweltsystemen”. |
| 2000-2006 | Lecturer at ETHZ: Umweltchemie II: allgemeine Toxikologie und Ökotoxikologie. |
| 1999-2005 | Lecturer at ETHZ: Integriertes Grundpraktikum IV: Mikrobiologie. |
| 1999-2005 | Lecturer at ETHZ: Umweltmikrobiologie I. |
| 1999/2001/ 2003/2008/2012 | Lecturer at NDK course (ETH Zürich) on " Risiko und Sicherheit: chemische Stoffe und Umwelteffekte". |
| 1998 | PEAK Course co-leader and lecturer at the Eawag on: ”moderne methoden zum Nachweis von Mikroorganismen und deren Aktivität”. |
| 1995-1996 | Lecturer at Peak Courses at the Eawag on:
|
| 1991-1994 | Lecturer of EEC/EERO-Courses (European Environmental Research Organization) on:
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| 1993-1994 | Lecturer at the Wageningen Agricultural University, The Netherlands on regulation of microbial metabolism. |
| 1993-1994 | Supervisor problem-oriented teaching projects, department of Microbiology, Wageningen Agricultural University. |
| 1984-1988 | Practical course in molecular biology. |
| 1989-1994 | Practical course in microbiology. |
| 1984-to date | About 30 Masterstudents have been co-supervised during their practical training (6 to 12 month each). |
Supervision of Ph.D students
| 2014-to date | Frederik Weiss. Determination of exposure scenarios, hazard assessment and potential mitigation options of pesticides, released in a catchment area with different agricultural systems in a Low- or Middle-Income Country. (ETHZ/Eawag; PhD advisor). |
| 2013-to date | Krishna Tulasi Kirla. (UniZH; Thesis Committee). |
| 2013-2014 | Cornelia Fürstenberger. Disruption of androgen metabolism, regulations and effects; involvement of steroidogenic enzymes. (UniBS; Thesis Committee). |
| 2011-2014 | Verena Grundler. Investigation of the Toxicity of Cyanobacterial Peptides by Chemical Biology Approaches. (UniBS; Thesis Committee). |
| 2011-to date | Milena Madry. Metabolite to Parent Drug Ratios of Tramadol in Hair for the Differentiation of Tramadol Intake from External Contamination. (UniZH; Thesis Committee). |
| 2010-to date | Muris Korkaric. Impact of acclimation and exposure to ultraviolet radiation on the toxicity of pollutants to Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (ETHZ/Eawag; PhD advisor) |
| 2008-2012 | Danielle Madureira. Time- and Concentration-dependent response of a liver cell line to Benzo(a)pyrene exposure. (ETHZ/Eawag; Thesis Committee). |
| 2006-2012 | Holger Nestler. Investigations on Multiple Stressor Effects of Combined Herbicide and UV Exposure on Clamydomonas reinhardtii (ETHZ/Eawag; PhD advisor). |
| 2009 | Régine Dayer. Regulation of singlet oxygen- induced Gpxh expression in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (ETHZ/Eawag; PhD advisor). |
| 2009 | Mirjam Fröhlicher. Mechanisms of action of (xeno)estrogens on the early development and differentiation of brain and gonads in zebrafish (ETHZ/Eawag; PhD advisor). |
| 2008 | Christiane Vögeli. Endocrine disruption: bioassay-directed fractionation of fish and human tissue samples (ETHZ/Eawag; PhD advisor). |
| 2007 | Nathalie Vallotton. Effect Assessment of Fluctuating Exposure of Herbicides with Different Modes of Action on Algae (ETHZ/Eawag; PhD advisor). |
| 2006 | Ksenia Cheshenko. Regulation of (xeno)estrogen-activated genes in zebrafish (UniBern; Thesis Committee). |
| 2006 | Evangelia Kallivretaki. Mechanisms of action of (xeno)estrogens on the early development and differentiation of brain and gonads in zebrafish (UniBern; Thesis Committee). |
| 2006 | Jane Muncke. Development of a mechanism-based, short-term test-system with zebrafish eggs for the detection of potential chronic toxicity ETHZ/Eawag; PhD advisor) |
| 2004 | Beat Fischer. Molecular mechanisms of singlet oxygen reponse in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (ETHZ/Eawag; PhD advisor) |
| 2003 | Barbara Rutishauser. Analysis, development and use of in vitro tools to screen for estrogenicity in environmental samples (ETHZ/Eawag; PhD Supervisor and Thesis Committee) |
| 2001 | Urs Leisinger. Regulation of gene expression upon oxidative stress in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (ETHZ/Eawag; supervisor and Thesis Committee) |
| 1999 | Nina Schweigert. Modes of toxic action and toxicity of (chloro)-catechol/copper combinations (has obtained the “Otto Jaag Price for water protection”). (ETHZ/Eawag; supervisor and Thesis Committee) |
| 1999 | Joyce Lebbink. Molecular characterization of the thermostability and catalytic properties of enzymes from hyperthermophiles (Wageningen University; Supervisor and Thesis Committee). |
| 1998 | Wilfried G.B. Voorhorst. Molecular characterization of hydrolytic enzymes from the hyperthermophilic archae (Wageningen University; Supervisor and Thesis Committee). |
| 1993 | Jörk Nölling. Mobile genetic elements in Methanobacterium thermoformicicum (Wageningen University; Supervisor and Thesis Committee). |
| 1992 | Jan Roelof van der Meer. Molecular mechanisms of adaptation of soil bacteria to chlorinated benzenes (Wageningen University; Supervisor and Thesis Committee). |
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This member of staff no longer works at Eawag. Please contact info@eawag.ch for further information.
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Expert on
aquatic ecotoxicology,
micropollutants,
surface water