I graduated with a degree in Marine Biology in 2010 from Newcastle University. I then completed a PhD at the University of Exeter, which focused on the potential for microplastics to cause harm in the marine environment. In 2015 I joined King’s College London, where I am currently an MRC-funded early-career research fellow in the MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health and the Environmental Research Group. 

My research focuses on the potential for microscopic plastic particles (microplastics) to impact human health via inhalation and diet. Specifically, I am interested in whether microplastics are airborne; whether air quality measurement instruments can be applied to monitor microplastics; what the sources of airborne microplastics are; whether humans are bioaccumulating microplastics; and the potential human health impacts associated with microplastic exposure.

Microscopic pieces of degraded plastic – microplastics - are a known marine contaminant with harmful impacts. My research aims to capture and identify potential microplastics in air samples and, if of inhalable size, estimate human exposure levels and health impacts.