Lucy Howarth-Forster, postgraduate researcher, CDT SuMMeR: Cohort 1

My background is multidisciplinary; I completed an integrated master’s in Chemistry at the University of Birmingham, and a postgraduate master’s in Marine Environmental Management at the University of York. Before commencing my PhD, I worked as a Marine Officer for the Marine Management Organisation where I engaged with various stakeholders to ensure compliance and understanding of UK marine legislation.

We are starting to understand that the impacts we have on our planet also affect us, but also that healthy, diverse, functioning ecosystems can form part of the solution for issues such as climate change. My research interests are the impacts we have on the marine environment and how we can mitigate them – in the hopes we can restore healthy marine ecosystems. I am also interested in working across disciplines to create solutions for issues such as plastic pollution. As a Marine Officer, I learned how much some communities rely on our seas and that management and restoration of the marine space requires effective communication with those stakeholders.

My research has two main aims:

1. To identify chemicals present in microplastics which then leach into the marine environment
2. To determine the toxicity and effects of those chemicals on marine organisms

Micro- and nanoscale plastics are produced from the decomposition of marine plastic debris and pose a severe threat to marine and coastal ecosystems. Microplastics undergo degradation in the marine environment through various mechanisms which results in the release, or leaching, of chemical additives. These additives are introduced during production of the initial plastic product to achieve desirable qualities – for example to reduce corrosion or add colour. My research hopes to determine the identity and fate of chemical additives released into the marine environment, particularly those which do not degrade and pose a toxic threat to marine ecosystems. This work has implications for future marine surveillance and compliance monitoring of coastal waters.

I applied to CDT SuMMeR for two reasons. First, this project is an opportunity to combine my two disciplines and work on a prevailing global issue: microplastic pollution. It is an exciting time to be working in this field, during the UN Ocean Decade and as nations are developing a Plastic Pollution Treaty, to be delivered by 2024. Secondly, the CDT SuMMeR programme appealed to me because of it’s strong partnership with industry. This means that, from the very beginning, focus is on how my research can be put into action and influence positive change.