Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of the Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Demetrio Raldúa, we wish to acknowledge our reviewers who so generously offer their time to review the papers submitted to Toxics by presenting an award to the reviewers who have demonstrated their dedication, professionalism, and timeliness in reviewing manuscripts for Toxics.

What are the pre-requisites to be eligible for this award?
– All of the reviewers for Toxics in 2023 will be automatically included.

Selection Criteria:
– Number of review reports;
– The quality and timeliness of review reports.

What will the winner receive?
There will be one winner this year, and he/she will receive the following:
– CHF 500;
– An opportunity to publish a paper free of charge in 2024 in Toxics after peer review;
– A certificate.

When will the winner be announced?
– The winner will be announced in February 2024 on the journal website.

How can I make myself eligible?
– If you have not yet reviewed papers for Toxics, but would like to do so, you can register as a reviewer at the following link: https://susy.mdpi.com/volunteer/profile/edit.

Dear Colleagues,

Toxics is inviting applications for the Toxics 2023 Best PhD Thesis Award. This prize will be awarded to a PhD student or recently qualified PhD graduate who has produced a highly anticipated thesis with major academic potential. The applications will be assessed by an evaluation committee led by the Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Demetrio Raldúa.

Eligibility and Requirements:
- The candidate must be a PhD student or recently qualified PhD graduate who has produced a highly anticipated thesis with great academic potential;
- The PhD thesis must be their original work;
- The PhD thesis must be or have been defended in 2023.

Required Application Documents:
- An executive summary of the PhD thesis in English of around 3000 words;
- A letter from the PhD supervisor recommending the candidate for consideration for this award;
- The candidate’s CV, including a list of publications connected with the thesis;
- An electronic copy of the PhD thesis;
- A scanned copy of the PhD diploma (or certificate of studying at a school or research institute as a PhD student going to graduate or participate in graduation thesis defenses).

Selection Criteria:
- Quality of resume and publications;
- Relevance of the candidate and research description;
- Novelty of the candidate’s PhD thesis;
- Strength of the recommendation letter;
- Anticipated academic potential;
- Originality and impact of the research.

Prizes:
- Bonus (CHF 500);
- Certificate;
- Offer to publish one paper free of charge in Toxics after peer review before the end of 2024.

The application deadline is 31 January 2024. The winner will be announced on the Toxics website by the end of April 2024.

Kind regards,
Toxics Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that Toxics is now inviting nominations for the Toxics 2023 Young Investigator Award. This prize will be given to one young investigator in recognition of their excellence in the field of toxics. All nominations will be assessed by an Award Evaluation Committee led by the Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Demetrio Raldúa.

The Prize:
– CHF 2000;
– The opportunity to publish one paper free of charge in Toxics after peer review before the end of 2024;
– An electronic certificate.

Eligibility and Requirements:
– Must have received their PhD no more than 10 years prior to 31 December 2023;
– Must have produced ground-breaking research and made a significant contribution to the advancement of the field of toxics;
– Candidates must be nominated by senior scientists.

Documents Needed for Nomination:
– Detailed Curriculum Vitae, including an updated publication list and a list of the researcher’s research grants;
– Scanned copy of doctorate certificate;
– Signed nomination letters from two established senior scientists.

Schedule:
– Open for nominations: 31 March 2023.
– Nomination deadline: 31 January 2024.
– Winner announcement: 31 March 2024.

How Should Nominations be Submitted?
The nominations must be submitted online.
Please do not hesitate to contact kira.yang@mdpi.com with any questions.
We look forward to receiving your nominations.

Kind regards,
Toxics Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that Toxics will be granting the Travel Award to a junior scientist. The applications will be assessed by an Evaluation Committee consisting of senior scholars from the Toxics Editorial Board.

This award provides financial support for the winner to attend an international conference in the field of toxicology to be held in 2024, in order to hold a presentation, present a poster, or both.

Candidate Requirements:
– Postdoctoral fellows or PhD students.
– Plans to attend an international conference in 2024 (oral presentation or poster).

Required Application Documents:
– Information of the conference the applicant is planning to attend and the abstract that will be submitted.
– Curriculum Vitae and list of publications.
– Justification letter describing the focus of the research (max. 800 words).
– Letter of recommendation from the supervisor, research director, or department head, which also confirms the applicant’s status as a postdoctoral fellow/PhD student.

The winner (one awardee) will be awarded CHF 800 and a certificate.

Please submit your applications for the Toxics 2024 Travel Award online by 31 October 2023. Prizes will be awarded at the end of December 2023 and announced on the Toxics website.

Kind regards,
Toxics Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the “Toxics 2023 Best Paper Award” for research and review articles published in Toxics from 1 January to 31 December in 2021. One review and one research article will each receive an award. The papers will be selected after a thorough evaluation by the journal’s Award Committee, led by its Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Demetrio Raldúa.

Eligibility for the Award:
– Papers published in Toxics from 1 January to 31 December in 2021;
– Open to all career levels;
– Both regular and Special Issue submissions will be considered.

Selection Criteria:
The papers will be selected by the journal’s Award Committee according to the following criteria:
– Scientific merit and broad impact;
– Originality of the research objectives and/or the ideas presented;
– Creativity of the study design or uniqueness of the approaches and concepts;
– Clarity of presentation;
– Citations and downloads.

The Prize:
– One review award: CHF 500 and a chance to publish a paper free of charge in Toxics in 2024 after peer review;
– One research article award: CHF 500 and a chance to publish a paper free of charge in Toxics in 2024 after peer review;
– Each winner will also receive a certificate.

The winners will be announced on the journal’s website in October 2023.

Kind regards,
Toxics Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winner of the Toxics 2022 Reviewer Award. The Toxics Editorial Board and Editorial Team would like to gratefully acknowledge the time and energy dedicated by reviewers in checking the manuscripts submitted to Toxics. It is due to their efforts that the high quality of the journal and quick turnaround is maintained.

Dr. Chris Douvris
Affiliation: Department of Biological & Chemical Sciences, New York Institute of Technology, New York, USA
Research Interest: ICP-MS; ICP-OES; NMR spectroscopy; trace metals; transition metal complexes; homogeneous catalysis; polymers; sediments

Prizes:
• CHF 500
• An opportunity to publish a paper free of charge in Toxics in 2023 after peer review;
• A certificate

Kind regards,
Dr. Demetrio Raldúa
Editor-in-Chief, Toxics

Dear Colleagues,

As the Editor-in-Chief of Toxics, it is my great pleasure to announce the winner of the 2022 Best PhD Thesis. This award is for a PhD student or recently qualified PhD who has produced a highly anticipated thesis with great academic potential.

The award has been granted to:
“Effects of Rare Earth Elements on Aquatic Organisms under a Changing Environment” by Dr. Catia Figueiredo, CIIMAR—Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, Portugal.
Dr. Catia Figueiredo will receive CHF 800, a certificate and a chance to publish a paper free of charge after peer review in Toxics in 2023.

On behalf of the evaluation committee, I congratulate Dr. Catia Figueiredo on their accomplishments. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the applicants for submitting their exceptional theses, and thank the Award Committee for voting and helping with this award.

Kind regards,
Dr. Demetrio Raldúa
Editor-in-Chief, Toxics

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that the winner of the Toxics 2022 Young Investigator Award is Dr. Minjian Chen.

Dr. Minjian Chen is an Associate Professor (under assessment) of the State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China. Dr. Minjian Chen’s research interests include metabolomics, exposomics, reproductive and developmental health, exposure science, and toxicology. Dr. Minjian Chen received his PhD in 2013 and has an outstanding publication record, comprising 101 publications in peer-reviewed international journals and 9 international patents. Dr. Minjian Chen’s Scopus Scientific Citations number is 2349 and his Hirsch index is 29. He is clearly a rising star in the field of Toxics. As a single applicant, Dr. Minjian has secured more than EUR 800,000 in funding since 2014. This is an outstanding achievement in today’s competitive environment. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Minjian Chen for his outstanding achievements.

As the awardee, Dr. Minjian will receive CHF 2000, the opportunity to publish a paper free of charge in Toxics before the end of December 2023 after peer-review, and an electronic certificate.

We would like to thank all the nominators for their participation and the Award Committee Members for their efforts in evaluating the many excellent nominees.

Toxics 2022 Young Investigator Evaluation Committee

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2022 Best Paper Award. All of the papers published in 2020 in Toxics were considered for the award. After a thorough evaluation of the originality and significance of the papers, citations, and downloads, two winners were selected.

One Review:
Interaction of Environmental Pollutants with Microplastics: A Critical Review of Sorption Factors, Bioaccumulation and Ecotoxicological Effects
By Albert Menéndez-Pedriza and Joaquim Jaumot
Toxics 2020, 8(2), 40; doi:10.3390/toxics8020040

One Article:
Analysis of Cannabinoid-Containing Fluids in Illicit Vaping Cartridges Recovered from Pulmonary Injury Patients: Identification of Vitamin E Acetate as a Major Diluent
By Bryan Duffy, Lingyun Li, Shijun Lu, Lorie Durocher, Mark Dittmar, Emily Delaney-Baldwin, Deepika Panawennage, David LeMaster, Kristen Navarette and David Spink
Toxics 2020, 8(1), 8; doi:10.3390/toxics8010008

Each winner will receive CHF 500 and a chance to publish a free paper in Toxics before the end of 2023 after peer review.

Please join us in congratulating the winners of the 2022 Best Paper Award. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our authors for their continued support of Toxics.

Kind regards,
Toxics Editorial Office

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winner of the Toxics 2021 Outstanding Reviewer Award. The Toxics Editorial Board and Editorial Team would like to gratefully acknowledge the time and energy dedicated by reviewers in checking the manuscripts submitted to Toxics. It is due to their efforts that the high quality of the journal and quick turnaround are maintained.

Dr. Cynthia Rider
National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
Research Interest: combined exposures; mixtures; toxicology; polycyclic aromatic compounds

Prizes:
– 500 Swiss francs;
– An opportunity to publish a paper free of charge in Toxics in 2022;
– A certificate.

Kind regards,
Dr. Demetrio Raldúa
Editor-in-Chief, Toxics

Dear colleagues,

As the Editor-in-Chief of Toxics, it is my great pleasure to announce the winner of the Toxics 2021 Best PhD Thesis Award. This prize was aimed to be granted to a PhD student who has produced a highly anticipated academic potential thesis.

The award has been granted to:

“Outdoor Environmental Factors and Human Epigenetic Modifications” By Rongbin Xu, Monash University, Australia

The winner will receive CHF 500, a certificate, and a chance to publish a free paper in Toxics in 2022.

On behalf of the evaluation committee, I would like to congratulate the winner on his accomplishment. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the nominated research groups of the above exceptional thesis for their contributions to Toxics, and the Award Committee for voting and helping with this award.

Prof. Dr. Pierre Herckes
Section Editor-in-Chief, Toxics

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Toxics 2021 Best Paper Awards.

The awards have been granted to:

One Review

A Review of Biomonitoring of Phthalate Exposures
By Wang, Yu, Hongkai Zhu and Kurunthachalam Kannan
Toxics 2019, 7(2), 21; doi:10.3390/toxics7020021

One Research Article:

Trace Element Uptake by Herbaceous Plants from the Soils at a Multiple Trace Element-Contaminated Site
By Nworie, Obinna E., Junhao Qin and Chuxia Lin
Toxics 2019, 7(1), 3; doi:10.3390/toxics7010003

Each winner (corresponding author) will receive 500 CHF and a chance to publish a free paper in Toxics in 2022.

On behalf of the assessment committee, we congratulate the winners on their accomplishments. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the nominated research groups of the above exceptional papers for their contributions to Toxics, and thank the Award Committee for voting and helping with these awards.

Kind regards,
Toxics Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that the following reviewer has been selected as the winner of the Toxics 2020 Outstanding Reviewer Award. This award is in appreciation of the high number, timeliness, and quality of reviews in 2020. The winner will receive a certificate, CHF 500 and an opportunity to publish a paper free of charge in 2021.

Prof. Dr. Jun Yoshinaga
Faculty of Life Science, Toyo University, Japan
Research Interest: society medicine; hygiene environmental science; risk sciences of radiation and environmental chemical science; environmental impact assessment/environmental policy

Congratulations to the winner for excellent reviews. The Toxics Editorial Board and Editorial Team would like to acknowledge all reviewers who have generously dedicated their time and efforts toward reviewing manuscripts submitted to Toxics. Due to their outstanding contributions, the high scientific quality of the journal and fast article processing are constantly maintained.

Kind regards,
Toxics Editorial Office

Dear colleagues,

The editorial team would like to congratulate the winners of the Toxics 2020 Best Paper Awards, who were chosen by the Journal’s Award Committee. The recipients of the “Toxics 2020 Best Paper Awards” are as follows:

Article:

Aldehydes in Exhaled Breath during E-Cigarette Vaping: Pilot Study Results
Toxics 2018, 6(3), 46; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics6030046
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/6/3/46

Review:

Dietary Cadmium Intake and Its Effects on Kidneys
Toxics 2018, 6(1), 15; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics6010015
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/6/1/15

The winners will each receive a certificate and an additional bonus as follows:

500 CHF + one free publication in Toxics before the end of 2021.

Please join us in congratulating the winners of Toxics 2020 Best Paper Awards. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our authors for your continued support of Toxics.

Kind regards,
Toxics Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that the winner of the Toxics 2020 Young Investigator Award is Dr. Andreu Rico.

Dr. Andreu Rico (born in 1983 in Spain) is the principal investigator of the ecotoxicology group of the IMDEA Water Institute (Alcalá de Henares, Spain), and a Ramón y Cajal researcher at the Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, at the University of Valencia (Spain). His research has mainly focused on assessing (1) the environmental fate of emerging contaminants (including microplastics), (2) the resilience of aquatic populations and communities to chemical stress, and (3) the interactive effects of global climate change (e.g., water scarcity, temperature increase, salinization) and chemical pollution on freshwater ecosystems. More recently, he has been involved in several field sampling campaigns to assess the impacts of chemical pollution in the Amazon River and in Mediterranean wetland ecosystems. Dr. Andreu Rico received his Ph.D. in 2014 from Wageningen University (the Netherlands) and has an outstanding publication record, comprising over 60 high-quality publications, with over 1500 citations. In 2015, he won the SETAC best paper award for his study on the relationship between biological traits and invertebrate vulnerability to insecticides. In today’s competitive environment, his achievements are outstanding. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Andreu Rico on his impressive array of accomplishments.

As the awardee, Dr. Andreu Rico will receive an honorarium of 1800 CHF, an offer to publish a paper free of charge before 31 December 2021 in Toxics after peer-review, and an engraved plaque.

We would like to thank all the nominators from various fields of study for their participation and all the Award Committee Members for their evaluation of the abundant excellent nominations.

Toxics 2020 Young Investigator Award Evaluation Committee

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winner of the Toxics 2020 Travel Award (800 Swiss Francs). The winner is Dr. Erin McCallum, a postdoctoral fellow at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden.

Dr. McCallum’s research focuses on the effects of municipal wastewater effluents and emerging anthropogenic pollutants, like pharmaceuticals, on freshwater organisms. Her work especially focuses on the effects of pollutants of animal behaviour, and she integrates across biological scales to include analytical chemistry, physiology, social behaviour, and interspecific interactions in her studies.

Congratulations to Dr. McCallum and thanks to all who applied.

Kind regards,
Toxics Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Toxics, I am pleased to announce the winners of the Toxics Travel Awards for 2019:

The first prize was granted to:

Mr. Jake Martin, a PhD candidate in Professor Bob Wong’s Lab at Monash University, Australia

He mainly works on the effects of pharmaceutical pollution on fish sexual behaviours, antipredator behaviours, sociality and collective behaviour, as well as physiological processes like sperm production and metabolism.

The second prize was granted to:

Ms. Anna Duell, a 5th year graduate student in Professor David H. Peyton’s lab at Portland State University, USA

Her research focuses on the analysis of electronic cigarette liquid (e-liquid) thermal degradation chemistry by NMR.

The third prizes were granted to:

Mr. Kielan McAlinden, a PhD Candidate under Dr. Pawan Sharma supervision at the University of Technology Sydney, Australia; ;

He mainly studies the effect of electronic cigarettes (eCigs) on respiratory health and physiology.

Ms. Sophie Gould, a PhD Candidate in Dr Matthew Winter’s lab at University of Exeter, UK;

Her work is to undertake integrated health effects analysis of antidepressants inhibiting serotonin and/or norepinephrine reuptake using zebrafish models.

Mr. Tom Topaz, a PhD Candidate in Professor Benny Chefetz’s lab at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel;

His presented work aims to elucidate and quantify the potential risk to the estuarine environment from chronic exposure to a mixture of multiple pharmaceutical compounds.

Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all who applied.

Editor-in-Chief,
Prof. Dr. Alistair Boxall

Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304, ESCI-indexed) is an international, peer-reviewed open access journal published online and quarterly by MDPI, indexed by Emerging Sources Citation Index, Scopus, and PubMed. We are interested in publishing papers that present a wide range of perspectives on the exposure of humans and the natural environment to toxicants, the effects of toxicants on human and ecosystem health, and methods to manage or mitigate these effects. Please find more information on Toxics here: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/toxics.

A new competition for Toxics Travel Award will be opened soon. Stay tuned:
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/toxics/awards

Dear Colleagues,

This year we enjoyed a large number of meritorious applications for our annual Toxics Travel Awards. With the assistance of our Editorial Board Members, I believe we have identified the outstanding candidate. As Editor-in-Chief of Toxics, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Toxics Travel Awards for 2018:

Travel Award was granted to Dr. Joaquim Rovira, a post-doctoral researcher in Dr. Marta Schuhmacher’s lab at Rovira i Virgili University, Spain.

Dr. Joaquim Rovira’s research focuses on the environmental monitoring and human health risk assessment. He is involved in several research projects one of them regarding prenatal exposure to endocrine disruptors in a cohort of pregnant women in the reference hospital in their region.

Congratulations to Dr. Rovira and thanks to all who applied.

Editor-in-Chief,
Prof. Dr. David Bellinger

Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Toxics, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Toxics Travel Awards for 2017: the Travel Award was granted to Dr. Pallavi Pant, a post-doctoral researcher in Dr. Richard Peltier’s lab at University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Dr. Pallavi Pant conducts research on urban environmental exposures and health effects with a focus on particulate matter exposure characterization, particularly in developing countries. Her long-term goal is to improve the understanding of air pollution characteristics, sources and levels of exposure in developing countries and contribute towards mainstreaming environmental health into urban policymaking and programs.

Editor-in-Chief,
Prof. Dr. David Bellinger