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Thomas completed his Master of Environmental Science with Distinction at the University of Western Australia in 2019. His Master's thesis focused on the ingestion of microplastics by Western Australian sardines, which was published in Frontiers in Marine Science. The paper reported low ingestion rates and highlighted challenges in particle analysis, particularly regarding the small fibers that dominate the samples. Thomas worked as a Research Assistant at the Oceans Institute in 2020 and commenced his PhD studies in 2021. His PhD program focuses on plastic contamination in estuarine environments, using the Swan-Canning Estuary study region in Perth. This project requires a comprehensive assessment of plastic contamination in surface waters and shoreline sediments of the estuary, with a particular emphasis on small microplastic particles (<1 mm) that are often excluded from surveys but are highly pervasive in bioavailable organisms. The project involves the development of a workflow for semi-automated Raman spectroscopy to improve operational efficiency and throughput, addressing key limitations in particle identification. Additionally, the final project study seeks to explore the ingestion of plastics within the aquatic food web of the Swan-Canning Estuary and to determine oxidative stress correlates with plastic ingestion rates, thereby highlighting the biological impacts of aquatic plastic pollution. Thomas actively collaborates with other researchers in the field of plastic pollution and welcomes inquiries regarding potential research projects, fieldwork volunteers, and analytical requirements.
Oceans Institute • Perth, WA, Australia
Worked alongside researchers on various projects related to marine environmental science.
Requirements are standardized across the Graduate School for most Master by Coursework programs at UWA.