He has been an active and dedicated board member of MilieuChemTox for thirteen years. MilieuChemTox is the professional association for environmental scientist, a fusion of the KNCV Environmental Chemistry section, the NVT Environmental Toxicology section work and the field of Geochemistry in the Netherlands. He helped to share knowledge and strengthen the profession. It has been a real pleasure to work with him and to have him on our team for so many years

John Parsons his research interest was on the sorption, biodegradation and bioavailability of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and his expertise in these fields was recognized internationally. At the University of Amsterdam, John led and participated in several large EU projects. He also contributed to building a bridge between environmental chemistry and ecotoxicology, testing both the environmental fate and effects of compounds. He was the prime supervisor of many successful PhD studies and students loved John´s erudite knowledge of the microbial biodegradation of chemical pollutants.

John also greatly contributed to many scientific publications and the Open Online Textbook on Environmental Toxicology, generously sharing his knowledge with all of us.

After his formal retirement in 2018, John remained active as a scientist, regularly visiting the University of Amsterdam to discuss research results with students and colleagues. He joined the Dutch ARES group (Association of Retired Environmental Scientists) in 2019, where he became very active in projects dedicated to defining persistence, including the development of the Persistence Assessment Tool (PAT) software to support the regulatory evaluation of chemicals.

With his open and enthusiastic curiosity and energy, he successfully motivated students to contribute, collaborate, and become active in the field of environmental science.  John was a great scientist and a very humble and kind man. He will be greatly missed and remembered. Our thoughts are with his family, colleagues, and friends.