Laura Wilkie Johnston

I completed an integrated master's degree in marine biology at the University of St Andrews from 2019-2024. During this time, I undertook a placement year at the British Antarctic survey (2021-2022), which ultimately culminated in my first dissertation titled “Abundance and type of microplastic in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) and salps (Salpa thompsoni)”. This was eventually published as a short communication in Royal Society Open Science (https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.221421). 

In my penultimate year, I was awarded the R&A International Scholarship, which enabled me to travel to the Centro Universitario de la Región Este (CURE) in Maldonado, Uruguay, and the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH), in Punta Arenas, Chile to collaborate with academics working on a variety of topics under the umbrella of Antarctic Pollution and Invasive Species. This was an invaluable experience, which cemented my passion for Antarctic preservation research and academia. Most recently, work I conducted during my time at INACH has been incorporated into a publication in Marine Pollution Bulletin, titled “Assessment of plastic debris and biofouling in a specially protected area of the Antarctic Peninsula region”. 

My research interests surround the impact of anthropogenic activity to polar ecosystems, which led me to this PhD.