Get to know Kristian Syberg aka our very own Messi
One of the three new faces at Environmental Risk
As a part of starting up the new strategic research initiative Environmental Risk, as well as the new M.Sc. in Environmental Risk, three new staff members have been employed. A formal announcement of the hires has been made here. However, as we would also like to introduce and welcome the three additions to the staff in a more personal way, we have interviewed each of them. In the following Kristian Syberg will be presented.
As our very own Messi, Kristian Syberg has completed all of his university degrees at Roskilde University (and yes, football is very important to Kristian as a season ticket holder to FCK!). Here he has paved his educational path with a B.A. in Environmental Biology followed by a M.Sc. in Environmental biology and Environmental Planning. He afterwards wrote a PhD about mixture toxicity and European chemical regulation, leading to an assistant professorship researching whether the European chemical legislation is suitable for regulation of engineered nanoparticles. A position which again lead to his new employment as assistant professor in Environmental Risk, where he will be researching how mixture toxicity can be further embedded in the European chemical legislation.
In other words Kristian chose the direct way towards being a scientist… or how was it really?: “No, not really. When I was a young kid at around 17 years my enthusiasm for school was worn out. By a lucky coincidence (and a keen mother) I was offered work as a sailor. I grabbed this chance and went sailing the seas of Europe and North Africa. Afterwards my plan was to become a carpenter, but things didn’t turn out as I was expecting. I wasn’t able to find an apprenticeship, and all my friends were starting at high school. In the end I thought: “what the heck” and started at high school too. Along the way I found out that being a student and later on a scientist suited me very well, because I get easily bored by routines, something that you don’t have to struggle with being a scientist. In this job you are always challenged and have to seek new knowledge”.
The choice of Environmental biology, however, seems to have been self-evident from the start, because Kristian has had a fascination with biology as long as he can remember: Since being a child I remember being fascinated with aspects of biology; how life arises, how it functions – and how we are able to understand this!
Regulation of environment, which today has become one of Kristian’s main fields of interest, was not equally in the limelight from the beginning, however: The whole regulation part was not something that originally had my attention. It wasn’t until I attended a course about ecotoxicology at my second semester, that I caught interest in the subject. Soon I realized, that understanding the science behind the problem is not always enough, if you want things to change. You also have to understand how society can alter its approach towards the problem. If I want to change things, this is the best way I can do it, without having to be a politician myself. And this way I get to say my actual opinion!” Kristian says and smiles.
This drive for improving society’s regulation of chemicals is not only evident in Kristian’s work at Roskilde University. Since 2007 Kristian has volunteered as a board member at the environmental organization The Ecological Council.
He explains to me: “The Ecological Council is an organization that dares and wants to take the scientifically more heavy environment debates. This is why I, as a scientist, fit very well in. And also, I love the work; it makes me able to keep my finger on the pulse, to follow the current debates closely and always be up to date.
Today the interdisciplinarity between ecotoxicology and regulation of chemicals is what defines the sharpness of Kristian’s professional profile and what drives his curiosity: “ I find that problems in the tension field between technical science and political sociology are extremely fascinating: The barriers that obstruct the development of society, and how these are dealt with. This is also why it was obvious for me to apply for the job opening at Environmental Risk; it is a research initiative that precisely captures the tension field between natural and social science.
And Kristian is looking forward to working at Environmental Risk educational program: “I have been a part of designing the M.Sc. program for Environmental Risk, so I really look forward to launching it. Being part of the creation of a completely new education has been exhilarating. Of course I’m also looking forward to be working on my research, especially because I get to work with mixture effect, which is my baby.