I completed my Marine Biology BSc at the University of California, Santa Cruz. There my interest in marine pollution was fostered in Santa Cruz while engaging with the public on marine research at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center. I completed the international MSc in Marine Conservation and Biodiversity. My PhD project has been funded by the Government of Ireland postgrad scholarship and the Irish Research Council Postgraduate Scholarship. The work focusses on taking an ecosystem based approach in assessing microplastic pollution in Galway Bay. The main objectives are to quantify and qualify microplastic pollution in marine benthic matrices (subtidal sediment, fauna and infauna) throughout Galway Bay.
