Dimitri Deheyn

Dimitri Deheyn is a Research Scientist at the Marine Biology Research Division of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego. There, he conducts cross-disciplinary research on biomimicry, which is the science of learning from Nature to develop new processes and biomaterials that are more sustainable and supporting circularity in society. Of particular interest to this audience, Deheyn studies the ecotoxicology of emerging pollutants, which includes plastics, textile microfibers and associated additives. Some key steps of his studies include assessing plastic and fiber biodegradation (from both natural and synthetic fibers, untreated and treated with additives). His research has a global perspective, looking at microfibers from high mountains to the bottom of the ocean, from lakes, rivers, lagoons, and coastal ocean waters, but also from snow, rain and atmosphere, around the world. Here, Deheyn will describe the life and death of microfibers from clothing and textile waste, and will update current research on the circularity of fashion, describing somee daring environmental situation in Accra, Ghana.

Deheyn grew up in Africa and South America, and completed his PhD in Belgium where he started his academic career. His inter-continental past makes him have a global perspective of environmental health in his current research. Consequently, his work today aims at understanding and protecting ecosystems that are critical to support the healthy future of our societies, considering the growing threat of increasing environmental challenges… climate change and plastics being two important ones.