In this blog post, we meet Devyani Chakravarty, our newest PhD student to join the Biospheric Microplastics team.
What is your background?
Most of my academic background is in marine sciences. I completed my Bachelor’s degree as a B.Sc. (Honors) course in Zoology from India. Immediately after its completion, I enrolled and completed a master’s in science degree in Marine Sciences which included studies in all aspects of Marine Science like geography, biology, chemical as well as physical oceanography.
I also have a master’s by Research degree (MRes) in the subject of marine biology, completed from the University of Plymouth in which I did my dissertation in a topic very similar to my PhD area of research, Which was looking at the effect of simultaneous exposure to both microfibres and warming waters on the respiratory physiology of the shore crab Carcinus maenas.
I have now started my PhD here at the UWE from October 2023 and will be looking at the effect of warming waters and microplastics on UK river systems. During my academic studies in India, I have participated in various national level conference on ecology, helped in field sampling in near-shore areas and also gone on training expeditions onboard the Indian research vessel Sagar Kanya, traversing the Indian Ocean along the shores of India and Sri Lanka.
What was is your inspiration?
My major inspiration was my fascination towards the aquatic environment and a wish to help the world be a better place. I have always been astonished at the unique nature of the aquatic environment and the many secrets it holds. But while venturing into the world of aquatic studies, I also understood its importance in our lives. We may see the aquatic environment as a separate habitat, disconnected from us, but as it is evident from the many studies and articles, unbeknownst to us, it is very much entangled with our lives and largely driving the earth’s climate conditions.
Even though water is a crucial part of our lives and is a necessity to survive, the aquatic ecosystems operate in a unique way, and are in many ways alike and in many more ways different than the terrestrial ones. But while it is truly fascinating to learn about its secrets, there is now a dire need and a priority to preserve and protect it from human induced stressors which, if not studied and reflected upon, can damage the aquatic environment beyond any hope of repair. So, I started focusing my study on how we are affecting them and hence, ultimately how we can reduce the damage caused by us all the while not hamper the human community’s development.
During my MRes degree I understood the urgency to study the effect of microplastics on the water bodies as microplastics are already present in large amounts in the aquatic ecosystems and will likely be a significant part of it in for along period. So, it became apparent that there is urgent need to understand how these microplastics will interact with the ecosystem and will its toxicity be dependent on other environmental stressors. Multi-stressor studies not only give a more realistic idea of the lethality of the stressors, it also will help better understand the functionality of the natural environment in an anthropogenically altered environment.
What are you currently working on?
I am currently studying the effects, or the potential harm caused to the rivers of United Kingdom by exposure to two major anthropogenically induced stressors, that is warming waters due to climate change, and microplastic pollution. My Study will be focusing on the eco-toxicological effects of the two stressors separately as well as when combined on the river-dwelling species and thus, compare the overall harm being caused currently as well as the future potential harm caused to the UK river ecosystems due to these two stressors.
This study will induce realistic results that will show the actual extent of damage being caused to the natural aquatic environment with the help of carefully designed experimental laboratory conditions and help understand whether the two stressors are synergistic, antagonistic or simply additive in terms of toxicity. Understanding how the stressor interact can help determine the true extent of their threat which will be useful in forming policies and plans to tackle these threats in the short as well as long term based on the severity and help prioritising the actions to be taken towards these environmental threats.
Future Plans
After the completion of this PhD, I Plan to further my research on multi-stressor studies, typically focusing on how various microplastics and their associated additive chemicals interact with other major environmental stressors like ocean acidification and metal pollution and help mitigate appropriate action plans.
I also plan to work with the major industrial companies to form more sustainable and environment friendly products to control the human waste and ensure a liveable earth for the future generations. I believe Science and research is the stronghold needed to tackle the global environmental challenges we face today and, in our future, and I wish to contribute to it to my greatest potential.