The Chemical Sciences Division has a developing program to improve the quality of analytical chemical measurements in the field of marine debris research.  Research interests include chemical degradation of plastic, quantification and characterization of plastic polymers in complex environmental samples, and quantification of plastic additives (e.g., UV stabilizers, plasticizers, flame retardants, pigments, and fillers) and sorbed environmental contaminants (persistent organic pollutants, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, metals, and others) to plastic marine debris or in tissues of organisms that ingest plastic debris.  Chemical instrumentation for these studies include Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, Imaging micro-FT-IR, X-ray fluorescence, and gas and liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry.

key words

Polymers; Plastic pollution; Ocean plastics; Marine debris; Environmental chemistry; Microplastics

Citizenship:  Open to U.S. citizens

Level:  Open to Postdoctoral applicants