Below are current and past staff at ARITOX.
Current staff
Prof Frederic Leusch
Professor (endocrine disruption, cell-based toxicology, water quality)
Dr Jason van de Merwe
Lecturer (turtle toxicology, cell-based toxicology)
Dr Steven Melvin
Lecturer (metabolomics, behavioural toxicology, fish)
Dr Peta Neale
Research Fellow (mixture toxicity, cell-based toxicology)
Dr Chantal Lanctot
Research Fellow (amphibian toxicology, metals)
Dr Kimberly Finlayson
Postdoctoral Fellow (turtle toxicology, cell-based toxicology)
Dr Shima Ziajahromi
Research Fellow (microplastics, water quality)
Dr Elissa O’Malley
Senior Research Assistant – Cell Toxicology
Past staff
Dr Hsuan-Cheng Lu
After finishing his PhD, Cheng worked for a while as Senior Research Assistant – Microplastics.
Dr Arthur Barraza
After finishing his PhD with us, Arthur worked for a while as Senior Research Assistant – Marine Wildlife Toxicology.
Dr Liesbeth Weijs
Dr Liesbeth Weijs did a DECRA with ARITOX, developing minimally-invasive techniques and modelling tools to gain new insights into the exposure and potential impacts of environmentally relevant chemicals, including dioxins, in larger marine species such as marine mammals, sharks and turtles. In 2021, Liesbeth, who is passionate about 3Rs, joined the animal ethics committee at the University of Queensland.
Natalie Marinovski
Natali initially volunteered and then joined the team as a research assistant running a range of cell-based bioassays for environmental monitoring.
Taylor Wilde
Taylor initially volunteered, and then took on a role as full time Research Assistant for a few years. In 2023, she joined Tweed Shire Council as a Laboratory Technician.