Research Focus
My current research within the SeaBioMat project investigates how biomaterials degrade under environmental weathering conditions and generate microplastics, how these particles affect marine organisms such as benthic copepods and mussels, and how this compares to conventional plastics. I am particularly interested in climate change-relevant, multistressor experiments that reflect real-world exposure scenarios. With a background in marine ecology and conservation, I have a strong interest in the interaction between plastic pollution and ecological processes, e.g. the role of microplastics as vectors for marine pathogens and their potential consequences for marine ecosystems. In previous research, I led large-scale field assessments, e.g. of plastic fluxes in the Scheldt Estuary (PLASTFLOW project), where I gained extensive experience in environmental exposure studies, experimental design, and the coordination of field campaigns. My PhD work within the JPI Oceans ANDROMEDA project led to the development of a cost- and time-efficient automated microplastic analysis method that combines fluorescent staining with advanced machine learning to enable rapid particle identification.