Our Research

Plastics Analytical Methods

Plastics are far from simple. There are a variety of polymer types, which construct the 'backbone' of plastics. There are also more than 15,000 plastic associated chemicals ('chemical additives'), such as dyes or flame retardants, which increase product functionality. Microplastics in the environment have also been altered by physical abrasion, UV weathering, biodegradation and more. Our lab works with a variety of methodologies to advance how we quantify and characterize plastics in the environment. By widening our analytical window, we can better understand their impact and management measures. 

Read more:
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-023-04671-1
https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/50951/1/978-3-030-78627-4.pdf 

Microplastics and Disease

It has been shown that microplastics pose a variety of lethal and sub-lethal impacts to aquatic systems, but how do these relate to survival in the face of deadly pathogens? Or microbial systems? Our research examines this interface, to understand how plastics with different shapes, sizes and chemistries may exacerbate or minimize the impact of diseases to aquatic animals. In aquatic systems, we also evaluate how plastics shape microbes and biogeochemical cycling. This is important for the health of aquatic systems, but also informative toward human health.  

Read more:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161191
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16235-3 

Tire Wear Analysis

As we drive our cars, the friction of the road slowly abrades our tires releasing tiny fragments of tire rubber. This rubber is complex in chemical composition, making it uniquely toxic and difficult to analyze. Our lab specializes in the mass analysis of tire wear in the environment with Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography/Mass Specrometry. Current projects will evaluate the distibution, chemical complexity and impacts of tire wear in our local environments.  

Read more:
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-023-04671-1
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2025.120908 

Plastics in Fishing Traps

Trap and pot fisheries (targeting crabs and lobsters) have some of the highest loss rates among fishing gear. Up to 30% of traps are lost in the environment, equating to nearly 1 million traps in the U. S. annually. We are collaborating with the National TRAP program at VIMS to sample abandoned traps to characterize their plastic components. This will allow us to describe chemical composition to explore upcycling possibilities, as well as their relative toxicities in the environment.  

Check out the National TRAP Project website:
https://www.trapprogram.org/