#45 - Lena Mutzner: “A list that keeps getting longer” - understanding pollutants of emerging concern for healthier aquatic environments

Lena Mutzner, Group Leader in the Urban Water Management Department at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science & Technology discusses the intricacies of stormwater quality monitoring. We learn a bit about how water quality is sampled, different pollutant types that she has focussed on and the ongoing challenge around contaminants of emerging concern. We also discuss the apparent paradox of repeating research cycles despite having done similar work 40 years ago, the importance of a holistic approach to stormwater management and how she is developing her research career into the uncertain future.

Podcast Intro/Outro Song: Starsky by Alex Keren (Check out more of his tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5vZ3lENfDLjkln8scBJ8mW)

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:59 Guest Intro & Meditative Activities
4:16 Nordic Countries vs. Switzerland
7:36 Lena's Mission in Water Quality
10:53 How it all started - engineering or psychiatry?
13:18 Contaminants of emerging concern
16:48 Studying Water Quality 101
26:28 Which contaminants does Lena focus on?
29:28 Tyre wear leachate and 6PPD-Quinone
33:01 Data issues towards building water quality understanding
36:45 Different types of common micropollutants
40:55 Interplay of Modelling and Water Quality Data Collection
46:18 Effect-based measurements
48:19 The holistic view - integration as a the way forward
51:05 Mitigation of pollution through Blue-Green Infrastructures
54:00 Lena's Future Research Trajectory
56:49 Q&A Start
57:24 What does innovation mean to you?
1:00:30 Key Moment, Person, Event
1:03:52 Women in STEM - Lena's drive to be a role model
1:06:40 Time Management
1:10:24 Favourite childhood memory
1:12:55 Biggest challenge to date
1:18:17 Advice for young researchers
1:20:00 What would you most like to be remembered for?
1:21:15 Where can people find you?
1:21:57 Final Message
1:22:15 Outro

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