Hayley is an ARIES NERC DTP funded PhD Student co-hosted by the Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the University of East Anglia. Supervised by Dr. Matthew Cole (PML), Dr. Trevor Tolhurst (UEA), and Dr. Penelope Lindeque (PML), her project focuses on nature-based clean up solutions for microplastic pollution in coastal systems. This project is also in collaboration with the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation and aims to investigate whether marine macrophytes (e.g., seagrasses or saltmarshes) can be used as an effective clean-up mechanism for environmental microplastics.
Previously, Hayley completed her Honours BSc at the University of Toronto (Canada). During and after completing her BSc, she worked as a research assistant where she focused on many aspects of microplastic pollution ranging from sources and pathways, contamination and effects, and solutions.