This is one of the most important roles in food safety science,’ said EFSA Executive Director, Geoffrey Podger. ‘Dr Koëter will lead our core scientific risk assessment work, the output of which will form much of the scientific basis of future EU food safety decisions. I very much look forward to having him on board.’

Dr Koëter obtained his Doctorate in biological toxicology and experimental pathology from UtrechtStateUniversity. Since 1991, he has worked at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), with responsibilities for the OECD Test Guidelines Programme, including endocrine disrupters and animal welfare policies and, for the last nine years, as Head of the OECD Programme on the Harmonisation of Classification and Labelling of chemical substances and preparations. Prior to working for the OECD, he worked for 24 years at the Toxicology and Nutrition Institute within the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) in a number of scientific and managerial roles.