Research Across Systems

From tropical rainforests to marine ecosystems, my research explores how environmental change shapes wildlife and ecological systems. Working across behavioural ecology, organismal biology and environmental pollution, I combine field ecology, laboratory science and interdisciplinary approaches to investigate how organisms interact with their environment.

Although each project addresses different questions, they share a common goal: generating scientific evidence that improves our understanding of the natural world and supports better decisions for nature.

Research Philosophy

Effective conservation begins with understanding . Before environmental challenges can be addressed, the processes through which human activities influence wildlife and ecosystems must first be understood. I am motivated by uncovering these mechanisms through rigorous scientific research, integrating field observations, laboratory analysis and interdisciplinary collaboration. Rather than focusing on a single species or discipline, I enjoy applying scientific thinking across diverse ecological systems to answer complex environmental questions.

Environmental Pollution and Ecotoxicology

I investigate how anthropogenic contaminants enter biological systems, move between tissues and life stages, and contribute to cumulative exposure. My recent work has focused on microplastics, heavy metals and PFAS in marine turtles, including systemic accumulation, maternal transfer and embryonic exposure.

Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology

My broader research experience includes animal camouflage, comparative anatomy, cardiac physiology, biomechanics and behavioural ecology. These projects have strengthened my ability to work across taxa, integrate different methods and approach biological questions from multiple scales.

Science for Conservation and Environmental Management

My research identifies exposure pathways, ecological risks and knowledge gaps that may inform monitoring, policy and future management. I take a measured approach to impact: scientific evidence does not automatically produce conservation interventions, but it provides an essential foundation for better-informed decisions.

PhD Research Programme

Microplastics, contaminant transfer and early-life exposure in sea turtles

My PhD at The University of Manchester, UK, investigated how microplastics and associated environmental contaminants move through sea turtle life stages, from adult tissues to developing embryos. Across three interconnected studies spanning the Mediterranean and Pacific Ocean, I examined contaminant bioaccumulation, maternal transfer and embryonic incorporation, to better understand how pollution moves through biological systems, and demonstrating that embryonic exposure occurs prior to hatchlings entering the ocean.

Key techniques

Ecotoxicology
Field ecology
Microscopy & spectroscopy
ICP-MS
PFAS analysis
Statistical modelling

Systemic bioaccumulation

Oceanogràfic Foundation, Valencia, Spain

Investigated the distribution of microplastics across ten tissues in stranded Mediterranean loggerhead turtles, providing evidence for systemic accumulation beyond the gastrointestinal tract and identifying patterns of tissue-specific accumulation.

This study provided the first evidence that microplastics accumulate systemically across multiple tissues in stranded Mediterranean loggerhead turtles.

Maternal transfer

Pacific coast, Panama

Examined whether microplastics and heavy metals are transferred from nesting females into their eggs. By combining contaminant analysis with eggshell ultrastructure, the study demonstrated that microplastic burdens originate primarily through maternal transfer rather than environmental penetration during incubation, providing a mechanistic explanation for how offspring are exposed before development begins.

This study provided the first direct evidence that microplastic presence in sea turtle eggs results from parental transfer.

Embryonic incorporation

Pacific coast, Panama

Tracked the movement of maternally derived contaminants from egg yolks into developing embryos, demonstrating yolk-to-embryo transfer of microplastics during development and exploring co-exposure to heavy metals and PFAS within an eco-exposome framework.

Together with Study 2, this provided the first evidence for yolk-to-embryo transfer of microplastics during sea turtle development.

Student Supervision & Mentoring

Throughout my PhD, I have supervised and mentored undergraduate, Master’s, visiting and summer researchers across marine pollution, ecotoxicology, conservation science and science communication. Projects have included:

Pollutant accumulation in Greenland shark tissues, including microplastics, heavy metals and PFAS.
Microplastic uptake and bioaccumulation in Lake Tanganyika cichlids.
Microplastic accumulation in olive ridley embryos and hatchlings and potential developmental effects.
Microplastic accumulation in benthic fish tissues and implications for morphology.
Microplastics in sea turtle nesting sand and development of extraction methods.
Microplastic exposure pathways through cloacal mucus in nesting olive ridley turtles.
Development of improved microplastic extraction methods for sea turtle eggs.
The capacity of olive ridley eggshells to act as barriers to pollutant transfer.
PFAS extraction and analysis in lipid-rich Greenland shark tissue.
The effectiveness of illustrated science communication in shaping public understanding of microplastic pollution.

I have also delivered practical training in microplastic extraction and contamination-control methods to students at the University of Panama, alongside mentoring students in experimental design, laboratory techniques, data interpretation and scientific communication.

Master's by Research (MRes)

Camouflage and Predator Perception

My Master's research at The University of Bristol, UK, investigated whether markings resembling irregular holes on Lepidopteran wings provide a protective camouflage advantage against visually hunting predators. The project combined large-scale avian predation experiments with computer-based human behavioural trials developed in MATLAB and Psychtoolbox to investigate how predator perception influences survival.

BSc Zoology Research (First Class Hons)

Behavioural Ecology in Tropical Rainforests

Costa Rica | La Selva Biological Station

During a tropical field course in Costa Rica, I designed and conducted an acoustic playback experiment investigating territorial behaviour in strawberry poison dart frogs (Oophaga pumilio). The study examined whether territorial males responded differently to calls recorded from neighbouring versus unfamiliar individuals, providing experience in experimental behavioural ecology under challenging tropical field conditions.

Thermal adaptation and phenotypic plasticity in rainforest Drosophila

University of Bristol | Laboratory project

Investigated how larval rearing temperature influences body size in the Australian rainforest fruit fly Drosophila birchii, and whether populations from different elevations exhibit variation in phenotypic plasticity. The project explored how environmental conditions shape developmental traits and contribute to adaptation across ecological gradients.

Research Skills:

Ecology:

Behavioural ecology

Tropical ecology

Wildlife ecology

Conservation biology

Field research:

Experimental design

Wildlife monitoring

Ecological surveys

Sample collection

Science communication:

Scientific publishing

Project management

Public engagement

Interdisciplinary research

Quantitative analysis:

R/R-studio statistics

SPSS

Survival analysis

Mixed-effect modelling

Laboratory techniques:

Microscopy

FTIR spectroscopy

Raman spectroscopy

Histology/IHC

Whether working in tropical rainforests, marine ecosystems, conservation parterships or laboratories, my goal remains the same: to use observations and scientific investigations to understand how wildlife responds to environmental change and to generate evidence that supports better decisions for nature.

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