Dimitri Deheyn

Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Faculty Affiliate

Research Focus

Biochemical characterization of light producing reaction and identification of novel light-producing compounds, structural coloration and hyperspectral imaging, biology of light production in invertebrates (bioluminescence and fluorescence), environmental health assessment, development of sub-lethal bioassays, coastal management and marine pollution, marine ecotoxicology

Research Summary

Dimitri Deheyn's research deals with light production (via bioluminescence, fluorescence) and light manipulation (via structural coloration, pigmentation) in organisms, embracing the full range of scientific opportunities, from fundamental biochemical exploration and mechanistic description of biophotonic processes to potential application for biomedical, bioengineering and/or biotechnological applications.

Lab Website

Email:

ddeheyn@ucsd.edu

Bio

Dimitri Deheyn is in the Marine Biology Research Division at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego. Deheyn is a marine biologist who has been studying ecotoxicology for more than six years. Originally from Belgium, he received B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees at the Free University of Brussels where he first became involved in research on marine organisms producing bioluminescence. After remaining there as a postdoctoral scientist studying the impact of dredging on marine organisms, he then moved to Scripps Institution of Oceanography. His research theme is to develop a bioassay using the bioluminescence of marine organisms to assess the toxicity of metal-polluted sediment. Deheyn is the principal investigator of SIOSED, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography SEDiment research group, an international project funded by the Venice Water Authority through its concessionary Consorzio Venezia Nuova.