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Elisabeth Varga

Ass.-Prof. DI Dr. Elisabeth Varga
T +43 1 25077-3330   3302  
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Responsibilities

Food and environmental analysis

Development of analytical methods based on mass spectrometry (coupling with liquid chromatography or gas chromatography)

Teaching in the field of food chemistry and technology

Supervision of students

Research focus

Identification, characterization and quantification of myc- and phycotoxins

Metabolization of mycotoxins by plants and animals

Method development in the area of mass spectrometry coupled with liquid chromatography or gas chromatography

Academic Career

Since 09.2023 Ass. Prof. in Analytical Chemistry (focus on Food and Environmental Analysis) at the Division Food Hygiene and Technology of the Institute of Food Safety, Food Technology and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna
11.2019-08.2023 Senior scientist (20 h) at the Department of Food Chemistry and Toxicology (LMC), Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna (UNIVIE; working group of Univ. Prof. Dr. Doris Marko)
09.2019-08.2023 Senior lecturer (20 h) at LMC/UNIVIE
11.2018-10.2019 Return period of the Erwin-Schrödinger post-doctoral fellowship of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) at LMC/UNIVIE
Topic: Toxicity of fish-toxic compounds produced by microalgae
09.-10.2018

Visiting scientist at the Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University of Belfast (Prof. Christopher Elliott)
Topic: Determination of microcystins in freshwater and serum samples

08.2016-08.2018 Erwin-Schrödinger post-doctoral fellowship of the FWF at the Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark (DTU) (Prof. Thomas Ostenfeld Larsen) in cooperation with the Marine Biological Section, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen (Prof. Per Juel Hansen)
Topic: Identification, characterization and quantitation of fish-toxic compounds produced by microalgae in particular Prymnesium parvum and Karlodinium armiger
05.2014-07.2016 Postdoctoral position at the Center for Analytical Chemistry, Department of Agrobiotechnology (IFA-Tulln), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) (Assoc. Prof. Franz Berthiller)
Topic: Determination of mycotoxins in food and feed and identification, characterization and quantitation of novel mycotoxins
05.2016

Two weeks short term research stay at the Department of Food Analysis and Nutrition, Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology, University of Chemistry and Technology (UCT), Prague/Czech Republic (Prof. Jana Hajšlová)
Topic: Application of ion mobility high resolution mass spectrometry (IM-HRMS) for isomeric compounds (primarily masked mycotoxins)

01.2011-04.2014

Doctoral degree study at the Center for Analytical Chemistry (IFA-Tulln, BOKU) within the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Mycotoxin Metabolism (Prof. Rudolf Krska, Ass. Prof. Franz Berthiller)
Topic: Development, validation and application of modern LC-MS based methods for the determination of native and conjugated mycotoxins in food

08.2010-12.2010 Research assistant in the Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Canada (Dr. Peter M. Scott)
Topic: Implementation of a multi-mycotoxin method and determination of certain Alternaria metabolites in grain.
04.2010-07.2010 Research assistant at the Center for Analytical Chemistry (IFA-Tulln, BOKU) (Dr. Franz Berthiller)
Topic: Method transfer and optimization of a multi-mycotoxin method
03.2009-09.2009 Practical work within the master thesis at the Center for Analytical Chemistry (IFA-Tulln, BOKU) (Ao. Prof. Rainer Schuhmacher and Dr. Michael Sulyok)
Topic: Validation and application of an LC-MS/MS based multi-target method for the determination of mycotoxins in nuts and dried grapes

Education

2011-2014 Doctoral degree study at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) (degree with distinction)
2007-2010 International master study "Safety in the Food Chain" (SIFC) at BOKU and one semester abroad at the University of Copenhagen - Faculty of Life Sciences (LIFE) (degree with distinction)
2004-2007 Bachelor study "Lebensmittel- und Biotechnologie" (Food Science and Biotechnology) at BOKU (degree with distinction)

Publications

The publication lists are available under the following unique identifiers:

Scopus Author ID: 7102497547

ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-6046-3259

Memberships

Member of the Alliance for Life Sciences, Food, Veterinary Expertise and Agriculture (ALVA); since 2011 and since 10/2020 head of expert group "Analytics" and management board member

Member of the Austrian Society for Toxicology; since 2020

Member of the Society for Mycotoxin Research; since 2014

Alumni of the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU); since 2014

Member of the Austrian Chemical Society (GÖCh) and the Austrian Society for Analytical Chemistry (ASAC); since 2011

Member of the Association of Austrian Food- and Biotechnologists (VÖLB); since 2007