ADRIANA JANNETH ESPINOSA RAMIREZ

Calle 16H 91A-50 Bl. 2. Apto 302 Portal de Valparaíso - Fontibón

Bogotá D.C / Colombia / South America
Home: + 57(1) 5471358 / Mobile: +57 (300) 571-5505
ajespinosar@unal.edu.co aespin7@yahoo.com

Nationality: Colombian
Age / status: 33 years / Single

Objectives and Profile

Obtain a PhD degree in aquatic toxicology to enhance my expertise in this area and
contribute to broad the knowledge about effects of xenobiotics on living organisms as a key
factor to foster toxicologists’ research networks in Latin American countries.

Biologist with experience in aquatic toxicity assays start-up and implementation with
reference species or indigenous species under laboratory conditions. Specialized in
toxicological quality assessment of drinking water and industrial wastewater with a
multitrophic battery of assays.

Education
Academic Degrees

M. Sc. in Microbiological Sciences

Universidad Nacional de Colombia (www.unal.edu.co), Bogota, Colombia 2005

B.S. in Biology
Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogota, Colombia 1999

Seminars and other training

 Elective course “Theory of evolution”. Department of Philosophy. Universidad

Nacional de Colombia. Bogota – Colombia. March-June 2005

 Course “Cabbio 2004: Biological processes for the recovery and removal of
metals”. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Argentina. November 2004

 International course “Biomarkers in toxicology” Department of Toxicology, School

of Medicine. Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Bogota - Colombia June-July 2003

 International course “Molecular Epidemiology” Institute of Biotechnology.

Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Bogota - Colombia August 2003

 “IV International congress on environmental microbiology”. Department of

Microbiology. Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. Bogota – Colombia May 2003
  “II International symposium of agricultural biotechnology”. Department of
Microbiology. Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. Bogota – Colombia May 2003

 “Iberoamerican seminar on environmental toxicology”. Von Humboldt

environmental corporation. Bogota – Colombia September 2002

 Workshop on “Methodologies for the study of sea and fresh water

zooplankton”. Organized by Universidad Nacional de Colombia and Amazonic
Research Institute IMANI. Bogota – Colombia October 1997

 4 semesters of License in Biology and Chemistry. Universidad Pedagógica y

Tecnológica de Colombia (www.uptc.edu.co) Tunja - Colombia. 1990 - 1992.

Professional / Research Experience

Water Toxicity Assays Director, UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE COLOMBIA
Bioassays Section 2000 - Current
Environmental Engineering Laboratory, School of Engineering

Responsible for management and performing several toxicity assays within projects related
to applications of a multitrophic battery of bioassays for toxicological quality assessment of
drinking water and industrial wastewater.

Expertise in culture, maintenance and performance of toxicity tests using organisms like
Daphnia magna, Daphnia obtusa, Ceriodaphnia dubia, Hydra attenuata, Selenastrum
capricornutum, Lactuca sativa y Salmonella typhimurium.

Projects:

 “Evaluation of the toxic effect of individual and combined cupper, chrome,

nickel and zinc on aquatic organisms with different trophic levels”, University
Research Division Grant (DIB). Ongoing started in March 2005

 “Implementation of a bioanalytical technique for the detection of mutagenic

substances in aqueous matrixes Ames test (Salmonella typhimurium strains
TA98 and TA100)” School of Engineering Grant. January 2004 to January 2005.

 “Development of tools for making decisions related to water resources

management using risk evaluation protocols based on biological methods
and on the ecological quality concept” University Research Division Grant
(DINAIN). October 2001 to December 2003.

 “Development and validation of a toxicity tests set for the toxicological

quality assessment of drinking water and water from natural sources, Stage
II” International Development Research Centre Grant (IDRC Canadá). June 2000 to
September 2001.
Graduate Student, UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE COLOMBIA January 2004/January 2005
School of Sciences, Bogotá - Colombia

M.Sc. thesis work: “Evaluation of mutagenic activity of industrial effluents using the modified
Ames test (Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98 y TA100)”

Funding provided by the school of engineering.

Research directed by: María Consuelo Díaz Báez.
Doctor of Applied Science. M. Sc. in Biology.

Undergraduate Student, UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE COLOMBIA 1999

School of Sciences, Bogotá - Colombia

B.S. thesis work: “Determination of sensibility limits to hexavalent chrome of two

cladocerans species under controlled feeding conditions” conferred a MERIT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.

Research directed by: Carmen Reyes Blandón

M. Sc. in Biology - Ecology

Oral And Poster Presentations

Díaz B. Maria C.; Espinosa R. Adriana J.; Cortés Andrea. “Toxicity assessment of a
hospital effluent using a multitrophic battery of bioassays”. October 2005. Poster
Presentation in the “VII Congress SETAC-LA Chemistry and Environmental Toxicology in
Latin America” Santiago – Chile.

Oral presentation in “Potential biotechnological seminar of microorganisms in Natural

Ecosystems and Agro-ecosystems”. September 2005. Department of Biology, School of
Sciences, Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

Díaz B. Maria C.; Espinosa R. Adriana J.; “Application of Bioassays in toxicity

assessment of industrial effluents”. September 2004. Poster presentation in 2 nd
Colombian Congress of Biotechnology and 1st International seminar in Bio-business.
Bogotá - Colombia

Díaz B. Maria C.; Espinosa R. Adriana J.; “Bioassays: a valuable tool for effluents
characterization and the evaluation of its environmental impact”. April 2004. Oral
presentation in VI Week of Environment “Biotechnology: an alternative for the
environment”. Universidad de la Salle. Bogota – Colombia

Díaz B. Maria C.; Espinosa R. Adriana J.; “Application of a battery of bioassays on

toxicity assessment of three industrial effluents”. March 2004. Oral presentation
within 1st Congress of Mesoamerican Association of Ecotoxicology and Environmental
Chemistry. Morelos – Mexico.
Díaz B. Maria C.; Espinosa R. Adriana J.; “IETP estimation for several industrial
effluents in the Bogota River upland watershed (Colombia)”. 2003. Poster
presentation within 5th Iberian Congress and 2nd Iberoamerican Congress of
Environmental contamination and toxicology: Environmental problematic on the
Iberoamerican context. Porto – Portugal.

Díaz B. Maria C.; Espinosa R. Adriana J.; “Toxicological assessment of some water
supply sources for human use using a battery of bioassays”. 2003. Poster
presentation within 5th Iberian Congress and 2nd Iberoamerican Congress of
Environmental contamination and toxicology: Environmental problematic on the
Iberoamerican context. Porto – Portugal.

 VI Congreso SETAC Latinoamérica  Salud Ambiental y Humana: una visión holística.

2003. Buenos Aires, Argentina. Tópico: “Estimación del IETP para diferentes
efluentes industriales en la Cuenca Alta del Río Bogotá (Colombia) “. Díaz Báez
María Consuelo & Espinosa Ramírez Adriana Janneth. ORAL

 Primer Congreso Colombiano de Biotecnología” y " III Simposio de Biotecnología

Ambiental". Instituto de Biotecnología Universidad Nacional de Colombia. 26-28 Junio
2002. Bogotá. Tópico: "Evaluación toxicológica de fuentes acuáticas colombianas
mediante una batería de bioensayos”. Modalidad POSTER. Díaz Báez María
Consuelo & Espinosa Ramírez Adriana Janneth.

 “ISTA 10 International Symposium on Toxicology Assessment” Environment Canada´s

St.Lawrence Centre (SLC). 26-31 Agosto 2001. Quebec. Canadá. Tópico: “Toxic
evaluation of different colombian drinking water supplies using a battery of
four bioassays”. Modalidad POSTER. Díaz Báez María Consuelo, Espinosa Ramírez
Adriana Janneth & Pérez William Jimmy.

 “Primer Encuentro Científico Interno de Estudiantes”. Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

Departamento de Biología 21-22 Octubre 1999. Bogotá D.C.Tópico: Pruebas de
Toxicidad: Estrategias y perspectivas: ORAL

Publications
 Capitulo de libro “The application of hazard assessment schemes using the watertox
toxicity testing battery”. Ronco, A.; Castillo,G.;Díaz MC.;Bulus,G.; Ahumada,I.;
Espinosa, A.; Mendoza,J.; Sobrero,C.; & Apartin, C. En: Small scale fresh water
environment toxicity test methods. C.Blaise and JS Ferard (Eds). Kluwer Academic
Publishers.

 Díaz Báez, María Consuelo, Bustos López Martha Cristina y Espinosa Ramírez Adriana
Janneth. Pruebas de Toxicidad Acuática: Fundamentos y métodos. Colección Textos
Universitarios. Universidad Nacional de Colombia. UNIBIBLOS. 2004. 118 p.

 López, Camilo; Espinosa Adriana & Alape, Joseph. 1996. Variación en las características
del ciclo de vida en individuos de Daphnia magna provenientes de diferentes camadas.
En: Acta Biológica Colombiana 3 (2):93-104.
ADRIANA JANNETH ESPINOSA RAMIREZ
C.C. 40034758 TUNJA