Education
M. Chem, University of Sussex
Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
Biography
I grew up in the southeast of England, close to both the city and the sea. I received an undergraduate degree (M. Chem) in Chemistry from the University of Sussex, U.K. in 2000 and a Ph.D. in Chemical Oceanography from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Joint program in 2006. After teaching Oceanography at Boston University for a year, I was awarded a Microbial Science Initiative postdoctoral fellowship in 2007 from Harvard University. I joined the faculty of the Chemistry department at Haverford College in July, 2009 and am a founding member of the Bryn Mawr and Haverford Bi-College Environmental Studies department. I enjoy working with students with a wide range of interests related to the ocean and the environment. I am particularly interested in examining the impact of human-derived chemicals on the oceans, specifically those from oil and plastic waste.
Research
My research interests are centered in the field of ocean biogeochemistry, a multidisciplinary approach focused on understanding the chemical composition of the oceans. Within this broad area, my research explores the sources, sinks, and persistence of human‐derived compounds in the marine environment (e.g. those from oil residues and plastic debris). My work seeks to examine how the chemical structure, physical associations and bioavailability of specific organic compounds determines their cycling and eventual fate.
At Haverford, our group utilizes geochemical and microbiological approaches to examine the cycling of natural and anthropogenic carbon compounds in the environment. We have focused much of our research efforts on investigating the fate of petroleum in the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. We have also expanded our examination of lingering oil in the marine environment to Prince William Sound, Alaska and Mumbai, India. More recently we have begun to collect and identify plastic debris in the marine environment with the aim of developing techniques to rapidly characterize and quantify plastics in marine and coastal environments.
My Links
Students can self-schedule an appointment here
Publications
Publications
Summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates interested in Ocean Sciences
NSF funded REU programs in Ocean Sciences
WHOI
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Gulf Research Program
The National Academies of Science, Engineering & Medicine
GoMRI
Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative
Environmental Studies at Haverford College
Environmental studies courses and faculty at Haverford College
Environmental Studies at Bryn Mawr College
Environmental studies courses and faculty at Bryn Mawr College
Environmental Studies at Swarthmore College
Environmental studies courses and faculty at Swarthmore College
Periodic Table of Elements in the Ocean
MBARI Chemical Sensor Program