The University of Plymouth is a well-established HEI, with an international reputation for comparative biology and ecotoxicology covering, microbes, animals, plants and human. It hosts the Peninsula Schools of Medicine & Dentistry, one of the newest medical schools in the UK that is also conducting research on nanomaterials, as well as the Wolfson Materials Laboratory.
Professor Richard D. Handy is a comparative animal biologist/ecotoxicologist of 20+ years experience, and is the Director of The Ecotoxicology Research & Innovation Centre, which includes a strong theme on nanoscience:
http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/research/eric
He is also Associate Head of School (Research) for the School of Biology. His laboratory has diverse experience of many different nanomaterials and is internationally recognized for fundamental mechanistic studies to under how organisms work. His expertise ranges from microbes, invertebrates, fishes and mammals; but is especially known for fish toxicology and the epithelial biology/unstirred layer chemistry, mucus, and uptake mechanisms of nanoparticles.