About: Mike is a semi-retired academic, but still provide advice on environment and human health issues to the UK government and international bodies such as the European Commission, the World Health Organisation and several major charities. I was formerly the Chief Scientific Advisor of the Environment Agency and founder of the European Centre for Environment and Human Health (University of Exeter Medical School).

Most pressing issues: I have three: 1)  We need to tackle the extended delays that occur in implementing regulation of risks posed by environmental chemicals to ecosystems and humans; 2) We need to change the current minset of assuming that new chemicals are innocent of causing environmental damage until proven guilty, to one of assuming they are guilty until proven innocent. (a more precautionary approach ensuring less release of toxic, persistent chemicals into the environment); We need to   drive a shift to ensuring that evaluation of the toxicity of environmental chemicals, (singly, but especially in mixtures) is conducted in more realistic environmental conditions, on multiple occasions, taking into account responses of representative species from a broader range of phyla.

Top tip for new researchers: Get involved in horizon scanning to identify newly-emerging threats that you can then become involved in assessing.

About: Stephen Lofts is a Soil and Aquatic Chemist at UKCEH Lancaster. His main research interests are in predicting the emissions, fate, exposure and impacts of chemicals in the terrestrial and aquatic environments, including the future projection of soil and water quality and impacts.

Most pressing issue: better understanding and quantification of sources and source pathways, to help us target the most optimal policies and practices for managing impacts

Top tip for new researchers: find what line of research really enthuses you, and dive in!

About: Lorraine is a Professor of Environmental Biology in the School of Biosciences at the University of Sheffield, UK. Her research focuses on understanding the risks that chemicals pose to biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides. Spanning both freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems, Lorraine’s work has been instrumental in informing UK and European chemical regulation and practice.

Most pressing issue: Not forgetting what we already know and acting on that knowledge.  The sheer volume of modern publications makes staying current a challenge, often leading researchers to prioritize papers from only the last few years. While this 'recency bias' is appropriate for rapid technological shifts, many 'new' conceptual advances are reinventions of fundamental knowledge published decades ago. Research does not lose its value simply because it is old.

Top tip for a new researcher: Follow your passion, keep an open mind, and prioritize collaboration. We will only successfully address the global challenge of chemical pollution by working across disciplines and integrating diverse perspectives. Complex problems require more than just specialized knowledge; they require a global mindset and a willingness to step outside our silos.

About: Alistair is Professor of Environmental Science based in the Department of Environment and Geography at the University of York in the UK. Alistair's research focuses on understanding the current and future risks of chemicals (including medicines, pesticides, metals, microplastics and nanomaterials) to ecological and human health.

Most pressing issue: As a society, we don't seem to learn from our past environmental mistakes and are very slow in embedding scientific advances into policy and regulation.  Over the past few decades our understanding of the risks of chemicals in the environment has increased enormously yet new chemical pollution challenges continually crop up. We should be doing a much better job to protect the planet.

Top tip for new researchers:  Collaborate with others from other disciplines and cultures. We will only be able to solve the challenges of chemical pollution through interdisciplinary and global collaboration. It is also immense fun and makes you think differently about your work.