Dr. Dimitri Deheyn is a Research Scientist at the Marine Biology Research Division of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego. He leads a cross-disciplinary research program rooted in biomimicry—the science of learning from nature to develop sustainable materials, biochemical processes, and innovations that promote circularity across industrial and societal systems. His work connects fundamental biological research with real-world applications, often in collaboration with industry, through his BEST Initiative (Biomimicry for Emerging Science and Technology), which he founded to support industry-driven sustainability solutions.
Dr. Deheyn’s scientific interests span a wide spectrum, from biophotonics (bioluminescence, fluorescence, and structural coloration) and bioadhesion/anti-biofouling, to UV protection and unusual biomaterials with potential for biotechnological, biomedical, and packaging applications. He studies the biological mechanisms behind these traits to develop biomimetic strategies for a more sustainable future.
A central and growing focus of his research is the ecotoxicology of emerging pollutants, especially plastics and textile microfibers, including their chemical additives. Dr. Deheyn investigates microfiber sources, degradation potential, distribution mechanisms, and impacts on ecosystem and public health, using samples collected globally—from polar to tropical regions, high alpine environments, to the deep sea, and from air, snow, rain, and organisms across Africa, Europe, and the United States. Dr. Deheyn sustains such research by involving a network of citizen scientists, from explorers and nature lovers to high school students.
In recent projects, he has applied biological light—such as fluorescence and bioluminescence—as biosensors to assess the toxicity of micropollutants, offering a novel perspective on contaminant impacts. His research not only addresses environmental pollution but also supports the development of circular fashion systems.
Born and raised in Africa and South America, Dr. Deheyn earned his Ph.D. at the Free-Thinking University of Brussels (ULB), Belgium, where he started his academic career in the late 1990s. His global upbringing and scientific journey inform a worldwide view of environmental challenges—particularly climate change and plastic pollution—and drive his mission to understand and protect ecosystems and their services as foundations for a healthy and sustainable future.
Updated June 2025