International Marine Litter Research Unit team
Meet our team and collaborators
Researchers
-
![Professor Richard Thompson OBE FRS Director of the Marine Institute]( "Professor Richard Thompson OBE FRS")
Professor Richard Thompson OBE FRS
Director of the Marine Institute
-
![Dr Vikki Cheung Project Manager]( "Dr Vikki Cheung")
Dr Vikki Cheung
Project Manager
-
![Dr Nathaniel Clark Lecturer in Physiology]( "Dr Nathaniel Clark")
Dr Nathaniel Clark
Lecturer in Physiology
-
![Dr Winnie Courtene-Jones Honorary Associate Researcher]( "Dr Winnie Courtene-Jones")
Dr Winnie Courtene-Jones
Honorary Associate Researcher
-
![Dr Lee Durndell Associate Professor in Clean Energy Transitions]( "Dr Lee Durndell")
Dr Lee Durndell
Associate Professor in Clean Energy Transitions
-
![Mr Jason Lowther Associate Professor of Law]( "Mr Jason Lowther")
Mr Jason Lowther
Associate Professor of Law
-
![Dr Imogen Napper Visiting Research Fellow]( "Dr Imogen Napper")
Dr Imogen Napper
Visiting Research Fellow
-
![Professor Sabine Pahl Honorary Professor of Applied Social Psychology]( "Professor Sabine Pahl")
Professor Sabine Pahl
Honorary Professor of Applied Social Psychology
-
![Mrs Florence Parker-Jurd Associate Research Fellow]( "Mrs Florence Parker-Jurd")
Mrs Florence Parker-Jurd
Associate Research Fellow
-
![Professor Steven Rowland Emeritus Professor]( "Professor Steven Rowland")
Professor Steven Rowland
Emeritus Professor
-
![Dr Michael Wilde Associate Professor in Analytical and Environmental Chemistry]( "Dr Michael Wilde")
Dr Michael Wilde
Associate Professor in Analytical and Environmental Chemistry
-
![Dr Philip Warburton Associate Professor of Medical Microbiology]( "Dr Philip Warburton")
Dr Philip Warburton
Associate Professor of Medical Microbiology
-
![Professor Kayleigh Wyles Professor of Environmental Psychology]( "Professor Kayleigh Wyles")
Professor Kayleigh Wyles
Professor of Environmental Psychology
PhD students
-
![Alex Leaton - PhD student]()
Alex Leaton – PhD student
Marine plastic pollution and the preservation of the marine environment: could a liability scheme be effective to make the polluter pay?
-
![Maja Grunzner - PhD student]()
Maja Grünzner – PhD student/ Marie Sklodowska Curie Fellow
Funding H2020 LimnoPlast Project. Behavioural approaches to the microplastics problem and potential solutions, 2020 – present.
-
![Madeleine Steer - PhD student]()
Madeleine Steer – PhD student
Funding NERC Industrial CASE (UKWIR).Quantifying the influence of waste water treatment on the release of microplastics to the environment, 2018 – present.
-
![James Delaney - PhD studentÂ]()
James Delaney – PhD student
Funding Argans Limited Remote sensing sensitivity of marine and terrestrial plastic litter, 2019 – present.
-
![Namrata Pandey – PhD student]()
Namrata Pandey – PhD student
Defining the biological importance of micro and nano-plastics on liver and gastrointestinal health, 2023 – present. Funded by Faculty of Health, °µÍø½âÃÜ.
-
![Lucy Howarth-Foster- PhD student]()
Lucy Howarth-Forster – PhD student
Funding NERC CDT SuMMeR, Revealing the hidden identity and toxicity of priority chemical pollutants released during microplastic degradation and additive leaching in marine and coastal environments, 2023 – present.
-
![Mr Chun Choi, °µÍø½âÃÜ]()
Chun Choi - PhD student
Investigation of the release and behaviour of plastic nanofibers to air and the marine environment.
-
![Riko Kimura]()
Riko Kimura - ResM student
Funding ITO Foundation. Ecotoxicological impact of vehicle tyre wear particles on earthworms, 2024 – present.
Completed PhD students
- Dr Zara Botterell, Funding NERC Env East DTP, Bioavailability of microplastics to zooplankton, 2017 – 2021.
- Dr Chris Walkinshaw, Funding NERC Env East DTP, Does microplastic pollution pose a risk to marine life and food security? 2018 – 2021.
- Dr Sohvi Nuojua, Funding UK Charity and °µÍø½âÃÜ, Marine Litter: Can behavioural sciences help reduce land-based waster entering the oceans? 2017 – 2021.
- Dr Imogen Napper, Funding self, Plastics in the marine environment. 2014 – 2018.
- , Funding EU Mares, Microplastic distribution and ecological interactions across latitudinal gradients, 2015 – 2018. Marine Scientist in the Caribbean.
- Dr Stephanie Wright, Funding Defra, Physical effects of microplastics on marine life. 2011 – 2015. Research assiciate UCL.
- , Funding FCT, Portugal. Microplastics in the environment. 2011– 2015. Independent Scientist, Portugal.
- Dr Nicolas Biber, Funding: Self. Distribution and effects on microplastics in the environment. 2009 – 2015 (part time).
- , PhD 2015 Monitoring microplastics in the marine environment. 2009 – 2014. Funding Defra. Now working at the Met Office in Exeter.
- Dr Kayleigh Wyles, PhD 2014 Rocky Shores: From habitat threat to marine awareness and restorative experiences. Funding NERC/ESRC. Associate Professor Lecturer in Psychology, °µÍø½âÃÜ.
- Dr Luke Holmes, PhD 2013, The role of plastic production pellets in the transport and availability of trace metals in the marine environment. Funding: °µÍø½âÃÜ Studentship. Now post doctoral research fellow at the °µÍø½âÃÜ.
- , PhD 2008, Environmental consequences of microscopic plastics in marine habitats, Funding: Leverhulme Trust. Now Senior Research Associate University of NEW South Wales, Australia.
Former research staff
- – now lecturer in Analytical Chemistry University of Surrey.
- Dr Ana Catarino – RealRiskNano project.
- Dr Stephen Summers – working on the RealRiskNano project – now at Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering.
- Dr Anna Sanchez-Vidal – University of Barcelona.
- – worked on the Marlisco project – now a research fellow at the University of Greenwich.
- – worked on ME 5416: Potential for microplastics to cause harm in the marine environment funded by Defra NOW at CEFAS.
- Dr Stewart Niven
UK Collaborators
- Pennie Lindeque, °µÍø½âÃÜ Marine Laboratory, UK
International Collaborators
- Anthony Andrady, North Carolina, USA
- Dr Amy Lusher, Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Norway
- Rachel W Obbard, Dartmouth, USA
- Dr Anna Sanchez-Vidal, Barcelona, Spain
- Martin Thiel, Chile