Prof. John Giesy 

Prof. Giesy is a world-leader in research into mechanisms of endocrine disruption and methods to screen for endocrine disrupting compounds. He was one of the first scientists in this relatively new area and continues to be a leader, publishing widely on bio-analytical methods. He is the co-developer of the H295R steroidogenesis assay and has published on many aspects of the use of the cells and the assay. He is on the boards of scientific councilors for the US EPA Office of Research and Development and the National Toxicology Program of the US National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences. He has published some 615 peer-reviewed papers and is the 2nd most cited author (over the past 10 years) in the combined fields of ecology and environmental sciences.

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Dr. Markus Hecker 

Dr. Hecker’s current position is as a project scientist with ENTRIX, Inc., and as an adjunct professor at the U of S. He is an expert in vertebrate and invertebrate endocrinology and physiology with a focus on the biological effects of environmental contaminants studied through both in vitro and in vivo models. Furthermore, he specialized in the research of contaminant action mechanisms, and chemical-organism interactions at the different levels of organization. Dr. Hecker has developed, optimized and validated the H295R Steroidogenesis Assay for the US-EPA and OECD, and he is currently working with the EPA and other global regulator authorities and industries to aid in the implementation of the H295R Steroidogenesis Assay. Dr. Hecker has been instrumental in the development of the protocols and the quality criteria guidelines that will be required by the US-EPA and other international regulatory agencies for acceptance of the data obtained by an H295R Steroidogenesis Assay.

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Dr. Xiaowei Zhang

Dr. Zhang is a molecular toxicologist with a focus on the research and development of novel in vitro alternative toxicity test methods.  He is an expert in toxicology of environmental endocrine disrupting compounds studied through both in vitro and in vivo models.  Dr. Zhang is one of the core developer of the H295R cell-based steroidogenesis assay and he has published on many aspects of the use of the cells and the assay.  Furthermore, he is a statistician specialized in the application of statistics and bioinformatics tools in the mechanistic study of environmental chemicals.