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Meet the team: Sayda Mehrabin Shejuti

Author Anna Jones | Posted on

In this blog post, we meet Sayda Mehrabin Shejuti, our newest PhD student to join the Biospheric Microplastics team.

Tell us a bit about your background?

I studied soil, water and environment both at my bachelor and master’s level at the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh. Following the completion of my research-based MSc, I actively involved myself in action based research projects focusing on plastic and microplastic pollution, building zero waste community and chemical burden on our environment. This involvement took place within a non-governmental organisation context. Then I pursued another MSc on environmental management from the University of the West of England with a research on systematic analysis of the most precise analytical method for detecting microplastic from air sample. In the UK, I worked for Environmental Investigation Agency as a Consultant where I supported the development of microplastics outreach strategy in the EU. I also engaged myself in analysing global plastic policies as a part of the research team of Revolution Plastics, University of Portsmouth.

What inspired you to focus on your area?

Having been born and raised in a country like Bangladesh–where environmental pollution is a rampant and urgent nuisance–I chose to combat chemical pollution and gradually, I became more involved in projects pertaining to plastics and microplastics. Although Bangladesh was the first country to ban plastic bag, it is still struggling to manage the burden of plastic waste that is accumulating by the second. ‘Microplastic’ was a completely new terminology in Bangladesh during 2016-2017, when I first took part in a research on microplastic in toiletries and fish. The research shocked everyone leaving with an urgency for continuation of more rigorous research within this field. Ultimately this led me to choose my dissertation topic as well as my postgraduate research landscape.

Can you tell us what you’re currently working on?

Although microplastics’ presence is identified in different environmental matrices, the possible health impacts of this tiny plastic particles are yet to be rigorously explored. Hence, I chose to conduct my PhD research on the identification and characterisation of microplastics in our daily food including investigating microplastics footprint from farmland to our plates. Accurate estimation of microplastics in frequently and highly consumed food products can shed the light on the future research of the impact of microplastics in human health.

What are your future plans?

I believe that my PhD project has the potential to open up new arena of exploration in this field, serving as the foundation of my future research career. While my aspiration is to pursue an academic path, I am open to exploring alternative possibilities as well.

Welcome to the Biospheric Microplastics Research Cluster (BMRC) blog

Author Anna Jones | Posted on

Welcome to the Biospheric Microplastics Research Cluster (BMRC) blog where we plan to share with you the latest updates from the BMRC.

Microplastic pollution is a considerable emerging health and ecological crisis on a global scale. The BMRC, building on microplastic research across UWE Bristol, aims to address critical gaps in the microplastics research landscape, notably the association between environmental exposure to microplastics through source, pathway, receptor relationships, and their potential to cause harm.

The BMRC brings together expertise from multiple disciplines, all of which play a crucial role in understanding the impact of microplastics on human and ecosystem health, expanding research excellence and enhancing teaching across the university landscape.

Through understanding the human and ecosystem health implications of plastics, there is an opportunity to contribute to their redesign, reuse and replacement throughout society. The research ambitions of the BMRC closely align with the UWE Bristol 2030 Strategy and at an organisational level UWE Bristol has pledged its support to the UK Plastic Pact.

Supporting and developing researchers of the future is a core value of this cluster and is integral to the success of this project. The range of expertise and experience (Research Fellow to Professor) brought together by this cluster provides a unique and powerful perspective to yield a significant impact on this novel field of research. The cluster is led by Dr Ben Williams, Senior Research Fellow and Dr Stephanie Sargeant, Senior Lecturer.  

The BMRC will bring together and draw on existing networks, including those with the Microfibre Consortium, UK/China microplastics network, UK Environmental Mutagen Society, but will also establish new networks through activities including the development and chairing of a cross disciplinary microplastics conference.

The diversity of opportunity will ensure that skills, knowledge and expertise are not just embedded in the current cluster, but in building upon existing research excellence and developing the next generation of researchers at UWE Bristol.

We look forward to sharing with you developments from this research cluster.

This research cluster is funded through the Expanding Research Excellence scheme at UWE Bristol. The scheme aims to support and develop interdisciplinary, challenge-led research across the University. It is designed to bring together research clusters or networks that will work together to respond to challenges (local, regional, national, global) aligned with major research themes.

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