Special Interview with Prof. Yongfeng Deng
On August 25, 2026, the editorial team of Journal of Environmental Exposure Assessment (JEEA) had the privilege of interviewing Prof. Yongfeng Deng from the School of Public Health at Southeast University, China. Prof. Deng introduced his team's research on emerging contaminants, with a particular focus on analytical technologies, health risk assessment, and strategies for the control, reduction, and resource utilization of emerging pollutants. His team has conducted extensive research on microplastics, investigating their potential health effects, including disturbances in lipid homeostasis, reproductive and intergenerational effects, and adverse effects associated with chemicals released from microplastics.
During the interview, Prof. Deng highlighted the importance of studying emerging contaminants under environmentally relevant exposure conditions. Using microplastics as an example, he discussed key health concerns associated with long-term exposure and emphasized the need to improve the environmental relevance of experimental studies when translating toxicological findings into health risk assessment. The discussion also addressed the complexity of emerging contaminant exposure, including the potential effects of contaminant mixtures and the need to better understand the biological mechanisms linking environmental exposure to adverse health outcomes.
Looking ahead, Prof. Deng shared his perspectives on research directions that may shape the field of environmental exposure and health over the next five years. He highlighted the importance of advancing exposure assessment, strengthening mechanistic research, and integrating emerging analytical approaches and interdisciplinary methods to better characterize the health risks of emerging contaminants. Regarding the future development of JEEA, Prof. Deng also offered suggestions on priority research topics and approaches to attracting high-quality submissions, emphasizing the value of emerging contaminant research, innovative methodologies, interdisciplinary collaboration, and studies with strong environmental and public health relevance.
Watch the video for Prof. Yongfeng Deng's expert insights:
Interview Questions:
Q1. Could you briefly introduce your research and the main research areas of your team?
Q2. What inspired you to focus on emerging contaminants and environmental health?
Q3. Your team has conducted extensive research on microplastics. What are the key health concerns related to microplastic exposure?
Q4. How important are environmentally relevant exposure levels in assessing the health risks of emerging contaminants?
Q5. Looking ahead, what research directions do you think will shape the field of environmental exposure and health over the next five years? Which research direction are you most excited to pursue?
Q6. In your opinion, which priority research topics should JEEA focus on? What practical suggestions do you have for attracting high-quality submissions in these areas?
About Prof. Yongfeng Deng
Prof. Yongfeng Deng is an associate professor and doctoral supervisor in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Southeast University, China. He received his Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Engineering from Nanjing University and completed joint doctoral training in Environmental Health at Harvard University. Before joining Southeast University in 2023, he conducted postdoctoral research and subsequently served as a research faculty member at Jinan University.
His research focuses on analytical technologies for emerging contaminants, health risk assessment of emerging pollutants, and technologies for their control, reduction, and resource utilization. In recent years, Prof. Deng has led projects supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province, and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, and has participated in a major research program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
Prof. Deng has published research in leading international journals, including Environmental Science & Technology, Environmental Science & Technology Letters, Water Research, and Environment International. His representative studies have addressed environmentally relevant microplastic exposure, reproductive and intergenerational effects of microplastics, the release and toxicity of chemicals associated with microplastics, multi-omics assessment of environmental toxicity, and the application of machine learning to environmental quality prediction.
Editor: Judy Qu
Production Editor: Xingyue Luo
Respectfully Submitted by the Editorial Office of Journal of Environmental Exposure Assessment
