Debtox Research

DEBtox Research is the private company that I (Tjalling Jager) operate since January 2015 to offer my knowledge and expertise on mechanistic modelling to customers. My mission is to strengthen the scientific foundation of ecotoxicology, environmental risk assessment, and life-history ecology, by the application of mechanistic models. Mechanistic modelling attempts to provide a (simplistic) explanation for the observed behaviour of the organism, rather than just describing it. Thereby, we gain a deeper understanding of the organism and the stressors affecting it. In turn, this understanding can help us to make educated extrapolations to untested situations. This is where fundamental research meets application! My specialty is in the development and application of toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic models (at the level of the individual), in particular, models based on Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) theory (more specifically: DEBkiss and DEBtox) and the General Unified Threshold model for Survival (GUTS). These models can be applied to a wide range of species (basically: all), and an enormous range of fundamental and applied research questions. More information on the type of activities that I have to offer can be found on my website.