Utrecht University has appointed Anne Kienhuis, senior scientist at RIVM, as Professor of Toxicology in Transition at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine with effect from 1 June 2025. From this chair Kienhuis contributes to various transitions in toxicology, such as the transition to animal-free innovations. The chair’s goal is to reliably assess the safety of chemical substances and pharmaceuticals without animal testing.
Anne Kienhuis: "I am thrilled to take on this role and to strengthen the long-standing collaboration between RIVM and IRAS ( Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, University Utrecht) accelerating transitions in toxicology. At RIVM, I bring my experience in transdisciplinary work at the intersection of science and policy. This chair enables the inclusion of even more perspectives from various scientific disciplines. Additionally, we will train a new generation of professionals by supervising PhD-candidates and students."
Goal of the chair
The chair’s focus is not only on the technological development of new methods but also on increasing trust and acceptance among all involved parties. As Professor, Kienhuis will collaborate with various disciplines and sectors, such as scientists, regulatory authorities, industry, and society as a whole. The research conducted within this chair contributes to the actual application of new methods in toxicology and the broad stakeholder acceptance required to achieve this.
More information: We focus on new methods to reliably predict human safety.