About the author: Jillian Helser

Jillian Helser is a PhD student at KU Leuven, originally from Austin, Texas, in the USA. As SULTAN ESR 14, her research is focused on the environmental and health impacts of hazardous metals from tailing to product. Jillian has a BSc. degree in Environmental Science and Policy from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. During her bachelor’s degree, Jillian studied abroad in Sydney, Australia for a semester and interned at RecycleSmart, a start-up recycling incentives company based in Sydney. Following her studies, she gained experience in life cycle assessment, green building and design at the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems in Austin, Texas. Then, in 2017, she received an Erasmus Mundus International MSc. Degree in Environmental Technology and Engineering (IMETE), a program which took place at 3 different universities in Europe: UNESCO- IHE (The Netherlands), University of Chemistry and Technology (VSCHT) (Czech Republic), and Ghent University (Belgium). Following her different academic and professional experiences, Jillian has decided to pursue a PhD to continue following her interest in scientific research, gaining knowledge and making new discoveries.