Environmental Contamination and Toxicology

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This course is mainly aimed at problem solving under new conditions and scenarios within a broader context of the multidisciplinary field of environmental contamination and toxicology. Students will be able to reflect on the ethical and social work and clearly convey the findings to specialists and non-specialists. Experience and confidence will be gained in applying acquired knowledge and advanced methods in environmental analyses. Course program focuses in understanding biogeochemical cycles and their changes due to human influence, recognizing mechanisms of toxicity caused by contaminants, and applying new technologies (toxicogenomics, toxicoproteomics) to biomarkers. Advanced training will be gained in assay development and standardization, as well as evaluating genotoxicity and mutagenicity caused by traditional and emerging contaminants. Competences to be acquired include implementing monitoring programs with appropriate methodologies for assessing environmental health, evaluating mechanisms of resistance to environmental contamination, and conducting risk assessment and bioremediation of contaminated sites.

Semester 1 - Year 1

Environmental Biogeochemistry; Accumulation, toxicity and detoxification models of environmental contaminant; Environmental Analytical Methods; Molecular Toxicology; Eutrophication and Harmful Algal blooms- All modules 6 ECTS

Semester 2 - Year 1

Environmental Toxicology; Biomarkers of Environmental Contamination; Environmental Risk Assessment; Toxicogenomics and Toxicoproteomics; Soil Contamination and Remediation- All modules 6 ECTS

Semester 1 & 2 - Year 2

Thesis Plan - 10 ECTS

Master Thesis - 50 ECTS

Academic requirements are any degree in higher education in relevant science and engineering fields (eg. Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Biology, Marine Biology, Environmental Science, Biomedicine, Veterinary Science etc).Candidates need to be proficient in reading and writing in English.Selection criteria will include Final Grade Point Average in Bachelor or other higher education degree, as well as professional work experience in relevant fields.

Accreditation

Legislation decree published in "Diário da Républica", 2nd series, Nr. 33, 15 February 2012

Master´s program approved by Portuguese Accreditation Agency for Higher Education in 2012