Tore Skeidsvoll Tollersrud will become the new head of VKM’s scientific secretariat when Director Harald Gjein retires this summer.

"VKM is now 20 years old but is still a relatively young institution. It is an exciting place, a place that is developing, and I look forward to becoming part of the team," says Tollersrud.

Tollersrud currently holds a position at the International Livestock Research Institute in Kenya, where he leads a program on the development of vaccines against tropical animal diseases.

Tollersrud is a trained veterinarian from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, where he earned a PhD in immunology and infectious medicine, and has research experience in immunoprophylaxis. He has previously been a manager and deputy director at the Norwegian Veterinary Institute and has worked at Animalia.

The Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment (VKM) is an independent and interdisciplinary scientific committee that provides risk assessments on issues of importance for food safety and the environment.

VKM assesses risks for the Norwegian Food Safety Authority and the Norwegian Environment Agency, which use the assessments to develop advice, grant permits, develop regulations, and provide input to ministries.

The committee has 123 external members with a broad interdisciplinary expertise. VKM is run by a scientific secretariat, which Tollersrud will now lead.