Speaker

Affiliation

Bio

Adam Nawrot

forScience Foundation

A Doctor of Earth Sciences, wilderness enthusiast, keen DIYer. Interested in environment, its changes and protection. The activity that gives him more professional satisfaction than anything else is fieldwork, and his taste for harsh conditions means that he gladly does research and gets involved in projects carried out in mountainous and polar regions, mainly in Spitsbergen. His love affair with this part of the world started in 2005. Since then, he has taken part in numerous fieldwork expeditions to the Arctic and twice overwintered at the Polish Polar Station Hornsund, including once as the expedition leader. In 2021 he took part in an expedition to the Bunger Hills, East Antarctica. The founder and president of forScience Foundation, which carries out projects combining science with practical work for the protection of Svalbard’s natural environment and cultural heritage.

Amy Lusher

Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA)

Dr Lusher has been working in the field of microplastic and marine pollution research for over a decade. Her research focuses on the distribution, interactions and potential effects of microplastics in the marine environment, with a particular emphasis on the Arctic.

Andrea Paluselli

CNR-ISMAR, Institute of Marine Science

Andrea Paluselli is a marine biologist specializing in chemical oceanography (PhD). Since 2013 his work has focused studying spatial and temporal distribution, composition, transport, and accumulation of plastic additives and microplastics in the marine environment as well as riverine and WWTPs. He developed an extensive experience in the analytical sample treatment and optimization of extraction methodology for plastic additives and microplastics as well as experience on the field with several research cruises in Mediterranean Sea, Arctic Sea and Pacific Ocean. He is currently working at CNR-ISMAR on the accumulation, distribution and fate of textile microfibers and microplastics in the seawater column of the Mediterranean Sea and Arctic Sea.

Andy Booth

SINTEF Ocean

Based at SINTEF Ocean, Department of Climate and Environment. Dr. Booth is an environmental chemist with experience in developing analytical approaches and studying the fate and effects of contaminants such as micro- and nanoplastic, nanomaterials, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), crude oil and other emerging pollutants. Recently, he has focused on investigating the degradation and leaching of plastic-associated chemicals. He collaborates closely with researchers from other disciplines, including toxicology, microbiology, materials science and the social sciences. He is an active member of the national and international research community on plastics, being a member of the scientific board of the MICRO conference series, an expert member for microplastic in the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive Technical Group on Marine Litter, an active member of the AMAP Litter and Microplastics Expert Group (LMEG) and co-chair (2017-2021) of the International Council for Exploration of the Seas Working Group on Marine Litter.

Anfisa Berezina

Norwegian Institute for Water Research NIVA

My name is Anfisa, I work at NIVA as a research assistant. I am interested in biogeochemical modelling and long-range transport of microplastics in the Arctic.

Anne Katrine Normann

Center for the Ocean and the Arctic at UiT the Arctic University of Norway

Anne Katrine Normann is a social scientist at the Centre for the Ocean and the Arctic at UiT the Arctic University of Norway. Her working experience includes fisheries and aquaculture management, natural resources management, marine plastic pollution and waste management. Her present research interest centers on governance of marine plastic pollution in the Arctic; and how circular economy can be applied to used fishing gear.

Asbjorn Jokstad

UiT The Arctic University of Norway

Dr Asbjorn Jokstad is a professor in clinical dentistry at The Arctic University of Norway.
ORCID: 0000-0002-5902-4520.

The presentation is part of the project "Sustainability in Dentistry" under the auspices of the Faculty of Health Sciences. The project leader is associate professor Anne M. Gussgard. email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Ásta Margret Ásmundsdóttir

University of Akureyri, Iceland

Ásta Margrét Ásmundsdóttir is a doctoral student at the University of Iceland and Adjunct at the University of Akureyri. She has led a monitoring program for undesirable substances in Icelandic seafood products for the Ministry of Fisheries. She has also lead projects regarding microplastic analysis in the drinking water in Akureyri Iceland, in the sediments in Eyjafjörður bay Iceland and in Hofsjökull glacier, Iceland. Currently leading a monitoring program in the waters of Eyjafjörður bay Iceland in relation to the construction of sewage treatment plant in Akureyri.

Audrey Matthews

University of Akureyri

Audrey Louise Matthews is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Nursing at UNAK, where she supports science-based teaching in biochemistry and pharmacology. Audrey gained her Degree and PhD in Chemistry at the Universities of Huddersfield and Reading, in the UK. She went on to work for 25 years in the School of Pharmacy at De Montfort University in Leicester, teaching in applied analytical, pharmaceutical and environmental sciences. Her research interests include environmental studies and the impact on human health, and comparative healthcare practices.

Ásta Márgret Ásmundsdóttir is an Adjunct at UNAK, where she teaches chemistry. She gained her Batchelors and Masters Degree in Chemistry at the Universities of Iceland and Bologna, followed by a DiplEd in Education at UNAK, and an MBA at the University of Reykjavik. She is currently a doctoral student at the University of Iceland.   Her research interests include the study of microplastics in north Iceland.

Belén García Ovide

Ocean Missions NGO

MRM Marine Resources & Coastal Management, Belén is an Ocean passionate and energetic since she can remember, Belén has been studying the oceans and particularly whales when she started her degree in Marine Biology in 2012. Since then, she has been involved in different research projects in the fields of marine acoustics, noise and effects on marine mammals, bio tourism and participatory science. She has been working at sea since 7 years as a sailor and wildlife guide, exploring amazing places including both poles and the Caribbean waters. She truly believes that we are the ambassadors of the oceans and “our mission” is undoubtedly to take care of our oceans and is willing to show the world how to do it.

Bonnie Hamilton

University of ALberta

Bonnie is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Center for Atmosphere Research and Experiments at Environment and Climate Change Canada. She combines manipulative and observational studies to answer questions about environmental fate and effects of emerging contaminants. Her work focuses on understanding environmental transport of microplastics and their associated chemicals and how these contaminants impact wildlife in the Canadian Arctic. She works closely with local, Northern partners, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and the University of Alberta. She is an active member under the Arctic Council’s Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program’s Litter and Microplastic Expert Group and is a National Geographic Explorer.

Charlotte Carrier-Belleau

Laval university and University College Dublin

I am an ecologist focusing on the effect of nanoparticles and other environmental stressors on benthic organisms - especially bivalves. Environmental stressors, particularly nanoparticles, are often investigated in isolation, even though there are present at the same time in natural environments - particularly in the Arctic. My research focuses on stressors interactions amongst multiple stressors, including nanoparticles, on benthic organisms and ecosystem functioning and services. I am a postdoctoral fellow at Laval University (J. Gigault) and University College Dublin (T. Crowe).

Christina Koch

Vårt Hav. Troms og Finnmark/ Naturvernforbundet i Finnmark

Christina Koch, project director Vårt Hav Troms and Finnmark.
M.A. in global studies and peace- and conflict studies from Leipzig University, Otago University and Roskilde University. Responsible for voluntary marine litter clean- up projects, campaigning, and strategic work in the region. Resident in Hammerfest.

Vårt Hav, located at 70-71º north in Troms and Finnmark, the northern most part of Norway. These federal states constitute 15% of Norway’s coastline and are least populated. Organisation working against marine litter with beach clean-ups, campaigning, and innovative projects by engaging with a broad alliance of local volunteers.

Dimitris Symeonidis

Afforest4Future

Dimitris Symeonidis is a PhD candidate at the University of York, researching circular agrifood supply chains and waste management in the sector. He is also the chief policy officer at Afforest for Future and the founder of the Decentralized Solutions Global Network, working on education, raising awareness, policy advocacy and research and innovation on regenerative agroforestry and circular economy innovations on the Arctic and Central Asia. Finally he is a policy lead at young leaders in energy and sustainability Europe (YES-Europe) raising awareness on renewable energy and regenerative economy policies across Europe and mobilizing youth in these sectors.

Dorte Herzke

NILU & NIPH

D. Herzke1,2, N. Evangeliou 1 and S. Eckhardt1

1 NILU _ Norwegian Institute of Air Research, Tromsø & Kjeller, 9296, Norway
2Department of Climate and Environment, Norwegian Institute for Public Health, Oslo, Norway
Keywords: microplastic, deposition, suspended, transport, Arctic.
Presenting author email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Douglas Causey

University of Alaska Anchorage

Douglas Causey is Professor of Biological Sciences at UAA and Senior Fellow of the Arctic Initiative of Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. He arrived to UAA in June 2005 from Harvard University where he was Curator of Birds and Senior Biologist at the Museum of Comparative Zoology. An ecologist and evolutionary biologist by training, he has authored over two hundred publications on topics as diverse as the ecology of Arctic marine birds, high Arctic coastal systems, and zoonotic diseases hosted by northern birds and bats. He has published extensively on policy issues related to the Arctic environment, Arctic geopolitics, and bioterrorism and public health. His current ecological research focuses on the environmental correlates of climate change in the Arctic upon birds and mammals, its consequental impact on local and Indigenous people, and the association with the increase of infectious disease in northern communities.   He and the students in his lab are actively conducting research in the Aleutian Islands, the northern Bering Sea, and Northwestern Greenland. He is co-lead of the NSF Greenland Ice Sheet - Ocean Interaction Network’s Coastal Ecosystem Working Group, which is working to develop more focused and inclusive research on problems relevant to climate change occurring at Greenland’s marine margins.

Eirik Okkenhaug

The Norwegian center against marine litter

Eirik Okkenhaug is Senior Advisor at Norwegian Centre against Marine Litter and works with operation and development of “Rent Hav” and “Rydde” - the Norwegian national digital tools for mapping marine litter. He has previously held the position of Project Manager at Oslo municipality‘s Department of Climate and Environment, working with prevention and clean-up of marine litter in the Oslofjord. He has also worked at the Norwegian Ministry of Defense and at the Norwegian Embassy in Beijing. Eirik holds a master's degree in international relations with a focus on environmental challenges in East Asia.

Eivind Farmen

Miljødirektoratet

Eivind Farmen has a PhD in ecotoxicology and is working with national monitoring of contaminants and plastics

Emily Cowan

SINTEF Ocean

Emily Cowan is research scientist at SINTEF Ocean in Norway at the Department of Climate and Environment. She has a background in international relations and political science. Her areas of focus are on plastics and Arctic multi-level governance. She works on a variety of EU and national research projects where she holds stakeholder-driven workshops focusing on perceptions and scenario development to identify pathways forward for policymakers. She is in the process of completing her PhD which is centred on the ongoing UN plastic treaty negotiations where she uses the methodological approach of event ethnography to better understand how environmental agreements are formed.

Eva Blidberg

Keep Sweden Tidy Foundation

Eva Blidberg has a PhD in marine ecotoxicology and has been working on marine litter issues for over ten years at Keep Sweden Tidy Foundation. She is very committed to the problem of plastic in the oceans and pleased about the opportunity to help combat the constant influx of plastic pollution. One of her tasks is to coordinate the national beach litter monitoring programme on behalf of the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management. She is also a member of the HELCOM Expert Group on Marine Litter (EG-Marine litter), the OSPAR Intersessional Correspondence Group on Marine Litter (ICG-ML), and the EU Technical Group on Marine Litter (TG-Litter).

France Collard

Norwegian Institute for Water Research

Dr Collard has been studying plastic pollution for more than 10 years. She first started with a master and then a PhD thesis at the University of Liege, Belgium, where she is from. Her PhD thesis investigated microplastic ingestion by three commercial fish species and also evidenced the occurrence of microplastics in the liver of those species. After, she moved to Paris for one year to keep working on microplastic contamination in fish but focused on a freshwater fish species collected in Parisian rivers. Afterwards she moved in the high North (Tromsø, Norway) for a 4-year post-doc position at the Norwegian Polar Institute. She focused her work on plastic pollution in sediment from the Svalbard region and plastic ingestion by the northern fulmar from different regions in the European Arctic. Beside plastic ingestion by the fulmar, she also studied plastic associated compounds in several tissues of this bird, in several age classes. In May she started to work for the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) as a researcher, from the Tromsø offices, still on plastic pollution with a bigger focus on macroplastic pollution.

Gunhild Bødtker

NORCE

I am a microbiologist and have been involved in plastic related environmental research since 2019. My main scientific experience however stems from more than 20 years conducting applied research within the field of petroleum reservoir microbiology. The fact that conventional plastics, and even some biodegradable plastics, are made from petroleum-based building blocks was my entry point to environmental plastic research. I am centre leader of North Atlantic Microplastic Centre and project manager of several cross disciplinary field studies assessing the environmental effects of plastic pollution.

Gyða Guðmundsdóttir

Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO)

Gyða Guðmundsdóttir is Head of Community Engagement at AECO – Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators. She has been involved with cruise tourism, port agency and shipping since 2014 working with ports and operators in the Baltic and North Atlantic

Haraldur Einarsson

Fishing Technology and operations team (NFIFO)/ Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Haraldur is currently, or since September 2019, working as a Consultant in the Fishing Technology and operations team (NFIFO) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). He has thirty years of experience in fisheries research work, mainly as a Senior Scientist based at Iceland's Marine and Freshwater Research Institute (MFRI). He has been a project leader for development and research projects on various fishing gears. He has been a government adviser on fisheries management, mainly regulating fishing gear and regional management. He has also been a lecturer and training data processing, mainly with the Fisheries Training Programme under the auspices of UNESCO. He is a member and a former chair of the ICES-FAO Working Group on Fishing Technology and Fish Behaviour (ICES-FAO-WGFTFB). He is now co-chairing the Working Group on Size and Species Experiments (ICES-WGSSSE). He has been chair/project leader or member of numerous international projects.

Hermanni Kaartokallio

Finnish Environment Institute

Hermanni Kaartokallio works as a Leading scientist in the Finnish Environment Institute (Syke), Helsinki Finland. He participates in Arctic Council PAME work, including work on Regional Action Plan for marine litter. His current research concentrates on sea ice ecosystem, marine microbes and biodegradation of plastics in the sea. He is also involved in work on microplastic pollution through a network of expert colleagues in Syke and beyond.

Herminia Din

University of Alaska Anchorage

Dr. Din is professor of art, art education at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Since 2008, she has been advancing Junk to Funk—a community-based art series that focuses on using recycled materials to create beautiful yet finished functional artwork. In 2014, she created the Winter Design Project, a collaborative learning experience connecting faculty and students to take an in-depth look at “ice” and “snow.” Presently, her work focuses on plastic pollution in the Arctic and using community art as an action for change. Grounded in educational theory and practice, she engages students in hands-on learning addressing a theme of global significance.

Jake Thompson

University Centre of the Westfjords / Háskólasetur Vestfjarða

Entrepreneur for waste management solutions with a Masters in Resource Management within the coastal marine environment. With a mixed background stretching from Indonesia, the UK and Italy, my international perspective brings new perspectives to my six years now living in Ísafjörður. A passionate diver who explores both the glamorous and dubious divesites around the Westfjords. Currently researching waste management solutions for fisheries and aquaculture industries using waste off cuts and trimmings.

Jakob Bonnevie Cyvin

Norwegian University of Technology and Science (NTNU)

Authors:
PhD candidate Jakob Bonnevie Cyvin at dep. of Geogrraphy, NTNU has been working with plastic pollution since he started he´s MSc were he is working with macro and microplastic in soil and sediments.

Christina Carrozzo Hellevik at dep. of International Business, NTNU is worrking with science-pollicy interface, sustainible transitions and plastic pollution with a background in ecology.

Cyvin and Hellevik have published and worked together for several years within the field of citizen science and plastic pollution.

Jannike Falk-Andersson

Norsk Institutt for Vannforskning

I am a researcher in marine resource management specialising in interdisciplinary tools for approaching various environmental issues. My research on marine plastic pollution has been broad, but with a focus on how to gather knowledge relevant for decision makers. It has included valuation of ecosystem services affected by marine litter, development of new methods for identification of the sources of and causes behind littering, stakeholder involvement to get new insight and initiate dialogue to have polluters taking ownership of the problem and the solutions, raising sustainability issues related to applying technology to remove floating plastics, development of monitoring programs of macroplastics, and exploring sustainable circular economy solutions.

Jennifer Provencher

Environment and Climate Change Canada

Dr. Jennifer Provencher is a research scientist with the Ecotoxicology and Wildlife Health Division in Environment and Climate Change Canada. She has a BSc and BEd from the University of British Columbia, her MSc at the University of Victoria, and her PhD at Carleton University. Her post-doctoral work was done at Acadia University, where she was a Weston Fellow and a Liber Ero fellow focused on seabird conservation. Dr. Provencher has collaborated with partners across the Arctic since the 2007-08 International Polar Year, when she was a graduate student and visited the Arctic for the first time. Her work on plastic pollution in the Arctic dates back to the 2000s, and her research team now works to explore both the fate and the effects of plastic pollution across Canada. She is currently the lead of the long-term seabird contaminants project under the Northern Contaminants Program (NCP), and is the co-chair of the Litter and Microplastics Expert Group (LMEG) for Canada under the Arctic Council’s Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP).

Julia Hager

mountain2ocean & PolarJournal

Julia Hager is a marine biologist from Germany who has been focusing on global plastic pollution since 2010. Seven years ago, she founded her initiative «mountain2ocean» and has been working freelance in a variety of roles since then. As an educator she raises awareness of the global plastic pollution crisis and its connection to climate change and biodiversity loss. With her presentations, workshops and exhibitions she has reached more than 7,000 children, teenagers and adults in Germany and Switzerland so far. When accompanying German-speaking expedition travelers as a tour leader to the polar regions and other destinations she also gives her presentations informing the people about these environmental issues and carries out beach cleanups. In 2019, Julia joined the team of the Swiss online magazine «PolarJournal» working as an editor on science-related topics exclusively about the Arctic and Antarctic including plastic pollution and climate change.

Julien Gigault

Takuvik (CNRS/Université Laval)

Karla Parga Martinez

University of Copenhagen

Karla is a TALENT Marie Sklodowska-Curie PhD Fellow at the University of Copenhagen, she is interested in the anthropogenic changes in Arctic ecosystems, the effects of marine pollution in the ocean and land, and the societal components. Her work focuses on marine litter and microplastics, she is currently looking at MP in the sedimentary record as a marker of the Anthropocene by building a chronology of their accumulation in deep-sea sediments through her project RECORD: An Anthropogenic Archive of Plastic Pollution in Greenland. She has a Master’s degree in Marine Science, conducted her graduate thesis at the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology.

Katrin Vorkamp

Aarhus University

Professor in Environmental Chemistry at Aarhus University (Denmark). PhD in Environmental Science from the University of Bayreuth (Germany).
My research focusses on the fate of organic contaminants in the environment, including human exposure. I am also interested in plastic pollution, in particular in plastic-associated chemicals. I have worked with Arctic pollution for more than 20 years, for example with time trends of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), identification of chemicals of emerging Arctic concern and effects of climate change on the fate of contaminants. I am co-lead of the POP expert group of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) and member of the AMAP litter/microplastic expert group. My research is based on state-of-the-art analytical chemistry with a strong focus on quality assurance and control (QA/QC).

Kristin Galtung

Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA)

Based in Tromsø at The Arctic University of Norway (UiT), Kristin Galtung has been studying the fate and effects of plastic pollution in marine environments. Specifically, her Master's thesis in collaboration with NILU and Akvaplan-niva focuses on the uptake of microplastics from car tire rubber and related chemicals in marine organisms. From August 2023, she will continue her work on plastics as a research assistant with NIVA (The Norwegian Institute for Water Research) in Tromsø, where she will focus on macroplastics. She has completed her undergraduate studies at The University of Oslo (UiO) and at The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS).

Kristina Tirman

Ocean Conservancy

Kristina Tirman is the Arctic Marine Debris Manager for Ocean Conservancy. In this role, she supports individuals, communities, organizations, and Tribes across the Arctic and throughout Alaska in their marine debris efforts. Kristina is based in Sitka, Alaska and has significant experience planning and leading marine debris removal projects in remote areas. She has a background in outreach and education and is passionate about raising awareness of marine debris through cleanups events and classroom visits with youth.

Kristine Hanifen

Acadia University

Kristine Hanifen is a graduate student from Nova Scotia, Canada, who is currently completing her MSc. in Biology at Acadia University under the supervision of Dr. Mark Mallory and Dr. Jennifer Provencher. She possesses a BSc. in Environment and Natural Resources from the University of New Brunswick, and diplomas in Wildlife Conservation Technology and Natural Resources Environmental Technology from Holland College and Nova Scotia Community College, respectively. Kristine is passionate about the protection of wild landscapes and native species, and her research is currently focused on anthropogenic threats to wildlife. In her spare time, Kristine enjoys birding and wildlife photography.

Lyndsey Hendriks

TOFWERK

I hold a PHD in analytical chemistry from ETH Zurich, Switzerland. During my research on nanoparticle detection and characterization using ICP-MS, I have gathered a profound and applied experience in single-particle analysis. In 2019, I joined TOFWERK AG in Thun, as an application scientist and am now working on developing new analytical methods for microplastic and nanoplastic analysis.

Madelaine Bourdages

Carleton University

PhD Candidate at Carleton University in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies focusing on understanding the sources, transport, and fate of microplastics in Arctic and Sub-Arctic freshwater environments.

Malin Stapnes Dahl

Keep Norway Beautiful

Keep Norway Beautiful (KNB) is a Norwegian non-profit organisation working to end litter. KNB co-ordinate and manage efforts to document, clean up and prevent plastic pollution. In 2020, KNB and Ocean Conservancy started a international collaboration with a project called The Arctic Cleanup. This project is a strategic action in the Arctic Council’s Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter under PAME (Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment) in chapter 7: Actions for the Prevention and Reduction of Marine Litter, under article 5 Cleaning Arctic Coasts. This collaborative projects main goal is to create local awareness and engagement in Arctic countries. Moreover, it seeks to collect highly important citizen science data to increase the knowledge on the matter of litter pollution in the Arctic.

Marc Schnurawa

BioConsult SH GmbH & Co. KG

Since 2019, I am working at BioConsult SH (Germany) in the department of digital aerial surveys as a research associate with a focus on drone applications for ecology and environment, geographic information systems, and data processing.

The last three years I coordinated and conducted the project "Environmental Protection in the Arctic – support of German activities in the Arctic Council in terms of a pilot study on monitoring plastic litter on arctic coastlines applying remote sensing techniques” which was funded by the German Environment Agency (UBA).

Currently I am working on the project “Aerial Photogrammetric Integrative Surveys” (APIS) of the UAM-Inno-Region SH (WIR! Bündnis), which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). In APIS, a drone-based species and habitat mapping is tested within the Wadden Sea National Park, Germany.

Marthe Larsen Haarr

Salt Lofoten AS

Dr. Haarr is a senior research scientist at the Norwegian consultancy firm SALT. She holds a PhD from the University of New Brunswick (Canada) as a marine ecologist specializing in productivity of invertebrate fisheries and anthropogenic impacts on this. Since joining SALT in 2016 she has applied her analytical and study design skills to tackling various aspects of the marine litter challenge, primarily predictive mapping of beach litter concentrations in relation to geomorphology and source identification of beach litter. She also has a keen interest in monitoring, survey design and statistical power. Dr. Haarr has always had a passion for the Arctic, and while not all her work is concentrated here a considerable portion is, particularly in the Norwegian and Barents Seas.

Mathis Blache

University of Iceland

Mathis Blache is a PhD Student in the Institute of Earth Sciences, at the University of Iceland. Hobbyist photographer and surfer, he studied benthic marine debris distribution on the Icelandic continental shelf for his master's thesis at the University Centre of the Westfjords, together with the Icelandic Marine and Freshwater Research Institute (MFRI). His current research focuses on concentrations, flux rates and types of microplastics in lakes deposits in Iceland, originating from both atmospheric deposition and local sources.

Matthew Johnson

Volatus Aerospace

Matthew Johnson is the Vice President of Volatus Aerospace, a Canadian-based company that serves the drone sector. He manages the education department, which is responsible for the development and implementation of various STEM-based training programs for youth, ages 8-17+.

Matthew is a former educator, having taught high school mathematics for five years, having introduced drone technology to his classroom to teach about trigonometry, and spatial geometry.     In 2017, Matthew took the leap from a career in education to the drone industry, where he has circled back to serve educators, helping them implement programming that includes applications of drone and machine learning technologies to reach curricular objectives.

Matthew has recently been working diligently to find partners, sponsors and collaborators with the Science Experiential Aerial Research (SEAR) Program, to bring new, technology and research-based learning opportunities to students across North America and abroad.

Øistein Aleksandersen

Nofir

Øistein Aleksandersen is the CEO and the founder of Nofir. He received his Master of Science in business from Nord University in 2005 with the thesis “Why is Buddhist economics a better way then neo-classic economics to achieve sustainable development”.

Since 2008 he has worked full time with the Norwegian company Nofir AS, and later also UAB Nofir in Lithuania and Nofir Geri Donusum in Turkey. His interest lies in the intersection between ecological, economic and social sustainability.

Petrún Sigurðardóttir

Marine and Freshwater Research Institute

I have always had a fascination with nature. Therefore, it felt natural for me to go into biology. I studied biology at the University of Iceland (B.Sc) and the University of Southern Denmark (M.Sc). My scientific focus has been quite variable throughout the years from studying birds to coastal ecology to zooplankton to where I am now, studying otoliths and seafloor images.

Philippe Amstislavski

University of Alaska Anchorage

Philippe Amstisavski is Professor of Public Health. He works collaboratively with the Arctic communities In his research he draws from an unusual blend of knowledge and experiences—from public health to mycology, statistical data analysis, and materials science. His interests center on reduction of marine contaminants and developing biodegradable alternative to plastics. Dr. Amstislavski and collogues at VTT Finland developed a carbon-storing bio-based foam for environmentally responsible shipping of Alaskan seafood in thermally insulated containers, fishing buoys, and housing insulation. He and Nick Beckage are currently lead cellulose biofoams research and develop analytical methods to test them. He and his team recently began to prototype the fabrication of bio-degradable foams. Through active collaboration with the Alaskan fishermen he seeks to create economically viable, practical solutions to decreasing the microplastics pollution in the Arctic. His Lab advances fundamental understanding of the physical properties, and environmental profiles of novel bio-based alternatives to plastics.

Ryan d'Arcy Metcalfe

KIMO International

Ryan d’Arcy Metcalfe was born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie Canada. He is currently employed by the municipality of Varde, Denmark, where he works as an environmentalist and project coordinator (since 2007). His previous work area was environmental assessment and control. He has coordinated the Danish KIMO Network since 2009. Ryan has a Bachelor‘s degree in Environmental Studies and Biology from the University of Waterloo in Canada (1995) and a degree as an Environmental Technician from the Technical School of Esbjerg Denmark (2001). Ryans's main focus in KIMO is to work toward sustainable coastal communities and prevent pollution through changing attitudes and best practices. His work includes lobying and research projects. He monitors three danish OSPAR reference beaches where he collects data on washings and beach litter for the Ministry of the Environment. He is also involved in OSPARs Intercessional Group on Marine Litter where he represents KIMO International.

Selina Hube

University of Iceland - Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Snorre Sklet

SALT

Snorre Sklet has a PhD in safety and work as a senior advisor in marine litter in SALT. He has a broad experience from work with marine litter and clean-up operations in Norway.

Soren George-Nichol

University of Alaska Anchorage

Soren George-Nichol is a PhD student in Dr. Douglas Causey’s lab at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Her work focuses on examining the adaptive capacity of Alaskan seabirds to help inform predictions about how different seabird populations will respond to anthropogenic environmental changes in the future. Prior to starting her graduate degree, she worked on conservation and management of seabirds in Hawaii. The high rates of mortality she witnessed while working in seabird nesting colonies motivates her current work. She is particularly interested in how genetic variation can be used to predict the ability of Arctic Seabirds to adapt to environmental changes, and how this may impact the sublethal effects of microplastics. She is investigating the presence and effects of microplastics in Arctic and Beringian food webs.

Svetlana Pakhomova

Norwegian Institute for Water Research

I’m a Researcher in the field of marine chemistry at the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA). My research is focused on biogeochemical processes in water and sediments, including modelling of the fate of pollutants in the marine environment. In recent years, I have studied microplastic pollution in the ocean and contributed to method development of plastic analysis.

Sydney Fox

Reykjavik University

Co authors- Hlynur Stefánsson, Mark Peternell, Philip Warner, Einar Jón Asbjornsson, Edward Zlotsky

Thomas Maes

GRID-Arendal/SEAMOHT

Thomas is an excellent communicator in different languages with a broad educational
background, including pre-MBA, civil engineering, terrestrial & marine biology, and a PhD in Science. To tackle the challenge of pollution & waste, Thomas supports global policy development through the UN frameworks, including UNEA & the Basel, Rotterdam & Stockholm Conventions. Thomas also assists developing countries with capacity building & research on the impact of waste & marine litter, their sources & pathways. He works closely with the Regional Seas Conventions, UN agencies, development banks, investors, & donors to find
solutions to tackle pollution issues. Thomas operates between science & policy, developing products to inform policy-makers. He regularly gives keynote speeches & presentations about pollution at international fora. He has extensive knowledge of relevant environmental issues, institutes & organisations and maintains an impressive global network. He attends, chairs & facilitates several committees, political debates, working groups & expert meetings.

Thomais Vlachogianni (BSc, MSc, PhD) is an environmental chemist and ecotoxicologist, specializing in oxidative stress mediated toxicity induced by environmental pollutants and the use of molecular biomarkers of oxidative stress for marine pollution monitoring. Her scholarly pursuits cover a wide spectrum of environmental research and management activities, ranging from evaluating the impacts of industrial pollution in aquatic and marine environments to applying biomarkers for assessing environmental quality in both marine and freshwater ecosystems to monitoring and assessing marine litter and marine plastic pollution.

Since 2008, she has served as a Programme/Policy Officer at MIO-ECSDE and has played a pivotal role in the development and contribution to numerous projects at the European and Mediterranean levels, aimed at promoting environmental protection and sustainable development. Since 2010, she has directed her focus towards research, policy, and advocacy concerning marine litter and marine plastic pollution. She has actively participated in several European and Mediterranean marine litter projects, including the Interreg Med ACT4LITTER, FP7 MARLISCO, IPA-Adriatic DeFishGear, Interreg Med Plastic Busters MPAs, ENI CBC Plastic Busters CAP, to name a few. In these projects, she has primarily taken the lead in the monitoring and assessment, as well as the prevention and mitigation components.

She is a member of several expert groups dealing with marine litter, including the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) Good Environmental Status (GES) Technical Subgroup on Marine Litter; the UNEP/MAP Experts Group on the application of the Ecosystem Approach in the Mediterranean; and the Correspondence Group on Monitoring, Pollution, and Litter (CORMON). Currently, she is leading the 'Zero Pollution Accelerator' component of the H2020 SOS-ZEROPOL2030 project, which focuses on four priority pollutants, including microplastics.

Gunn-Britt Retter

Saami Council

Gunn-Britt Retter is born and raised in the coastal Saami community Unjárga-Nesseby by Varangerfjord in the north-eastern Norway. She is a teacher of training from Sámi University College (Guovdageaidnu - Kautokeino, Norway) and holds an MA in Bilingual studies from University of Wales. Since 2001, Retter has worked with Arctic Environmental issues, first at Arctic Council Indigenous Peoples’ Secretariat (IPS) (Copenhagen, Denmark) and since 2005 in the present position as Head of Arctic and Environmental Unit of the Saami Council.
In her position as head of the Arctic and Environmental Unit in the Saami Council, Retter has been involved in issues related to indigenous peoples and indigenous knowledge related to climate change, biodiversity, language, pollution and management of natural resources.

1 Saami Council This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. *; 2 Norwegian Institute for Water Research, Norway; 3 GRID-Arendal, Norway

Tuomo Soininen

University of Eastern Finland

Tuomo Soininen is a second-year Ph.D. student at the University of Eastern Finland. His research interests are sampling, treatment and analysis of microplastics from environmental samples.

Valerie Chosson

Marine and Freshwater Research Institute (MFRI)

Valerie Chosson
MSc Oceanology & Marine Biology
Master in Computer science applied to research
Join the Marine Mammal research group in 2005.
Specialties: Chemicals, Plastic and Microplastic in Fin whale - Fin whale Age reading - Photo Identification system - Curation of National Humpback whale Catalogue of Iceland

Vilde Sørnes Solbakken

SALT Lofoten AS

Ms. Solbakken is an adviser at the Norwegian consultancy firm SALT. She holds a Masters degree in environmental science from the University of South-Eastern Norway, with specialization in marine litter and beach litter dynamics. In her thesis, Ms. Solbakken analyzed beach litter dynamics throughout the year 2020-2021, including over 300 hours of field work in the Lofoten archipelago, Norway. Since 2020, she has been involved in research projects quantifying and source identifying marine litter, outreach in ocean literacy to young people and dissemination of research results to the public in international collaborative projects like Dsolve and EUROqCHARM.

Wouter-Jan Strietman

Wageningen Economic Research

Wouter-Jan Strietman (MSc Human Geography, Utrecht University, 2003) is a researcher and project coordinator at Wageningen Economic Research, the Netherlands. Wouter-Jan is a specialist in the field of marine litter and has experience in the field of marine governance, and fisheries. On the topic of marine litter, he has initiated and caried out various stakeholder engagement projects aimed at gaining a better understanding of the sources, causes and solutions to marine litter in the North Atlantic region and beyond. On behalf of the Netherlands, Wouter-Jan is a member of the Arctic Council’s Working Group on Marine Litter, which is currently working on a Regional Action Plan.

Yubo Li

Shanghai Municipal Engineering Design Institute (Group) Co., Ltd.

Yubo Li graduated from Tongji University, China with my PhD in Environmental Science and Engineering. Currently, he is doing post-doctoral work at the Shanghai Municipal Engineering Design Institute. His main research interests are identification, assessment and removal of microplastics and other emerging contaminants.