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Juliette Legler is Professor of Toxicology and heads the Division of Toxicology at the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ. She was Head of the Department of Population Health Sciences at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine from 2020-2022. Prior to joining IRAS in January 2018, she was employed at Brunel ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ London, where she was leader of the Environment and Health Theme within Brunel’s Institute for Environment, Health and Societies. From 2001 to 2015, she worked at the Institute for Environmental Studies, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU), where she was appointed Professor of Toxicology and Environmental Health in 2013. Prof. Legler is a European Registered Toxicologist and was President of the Netherlands Society of Toxicology from 2019-2022. In 2018, she was awarded the Poulsson Prize in Toxicology from the Norwegian Society of Toxicology and Pharmacology. In 2024 she was awarded the EUROTOX lecture award, which is given yearly to a scientist who makes substantial and innovative scientific contributions to the field of toxicological sciences.

Impacts of environmental contaminants
Prof. Legler's research focusses on the molecular mechanisms of toxicity of environmental contaminants and the effects of contaminant exposure on humans and wildlife. She is particularly interested in understanding the long term health impacts of exposure to environmental contaminants during early development. Her research on the role of developmental exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in health and disease using zebrafish and in vitro models was awarded VENI and VIDI grants from the Netherlands Foundation for Scientific Research (NWO). She coordinated the first European research project on the link between EDC exposure and obesity, and has participated as principle investigator in various EU and national research projects.  She coordinated the European H2020 project GOLIATH (Generation of Novel, Integrated and Internationally Harmonised Approaches for Testing Metabolism Disrupting Compounds) from 2019-2024, a consortium comprised of world-leading experts in endocrinology, molecular biology, toxicology, epidemiology, test method development, validation and chemical regulation. GOLIATH addressed the role of EDC exposure in the worldwide rise in metabolic disorders such as obesity, diabetes and fatty liver by developing much needed in vitro and alternative methods to identify metabolism disrupting chemicals. Prof. Legler also coordinated the EURION cluster of eight H2020 projects on endocrine disrupting chemicals from 2019-2020. She currently leads the Dutch Research Agenda (NWA)-funded project 'Animal-free assays for endocrine disruption – from science to regulatory acceptance' (AFARA), which runs from 2023-2028 and researches how the use of non-animal models for testing EDCs can be improved as well as their regulatory acceptance.  She is lead chapter author on the UNEP/WHO 2025 Update of the State of the Science of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals report (in preparation).  

Microplastics and Human Health

Prof. Legler leads pioneering research on the exposure and effects of microplastics (and associated EDCs) on human health. She is the coordinator of  the Dutch "Microplastics and Human Health Consortium" (MOMENTUM), a public-private partnership funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) and Health~Holland. She was recently awarded a ZonMw ‘Pearl’ award for this work. She also participates in AURORA, a European H2020 research project focusing on early life stage exposure to microplastics.

Safety assessment of chemicals and pharmaceuticals based on human biology

Prof. Legler coordinates the 11.4 M Euro NWO NWA-ORC project ‘Virtual Human Platform for Safety Assessment' (VHP4Safety). The VHP4Safety project will build a virtual human platform (VHP) to determine the safety of chemicals and pharmaceuticals for human health based solely on human biology. By integrating innovations in data science, new approach methodologies, and transition science, the VHP4Safety project will help shape the transition to safety assessment in which animal testing becomes redundant. The project has an interdisciplinary approach to co-creation with multiple academic, regulatory, industrial and societal partners covering the entire safety assessment knowledge chain.  The VHP is built on tools and services, including pharmacokinetic and computational models, and integrates several data sources within each case study, including data on human physiology, epi­demiology, toxicokinetic and -dynamic parameters, as well as data on chemical characteristics and exposures. In addition, the VHP integrates new data generated within the project using new approach methodologies representing key events within adverse outcome pathways. Implemen­tation of the VHP is investigated using an innovation systems approach, engaging stakeholders, and organizing training and education.