Researcher Profile: Meet Meredith Watson

Meredith Watson is a Master’s student in the Department of Biology at the University of Waterloo, supervised by Dr. Roland Hall. 

Meredith is a member of the Microplastics Fingerprinting project, a multidisciplinary initiative involving over 30 team members, including faculty, graduate students, and support staff. The team’s diverse expertise brings a holistic perspective to tackling the complex challenges of plastic pollution.

Meredith’s research focuses on analyzing the temporal trends in abundance and composition of microplastics deposited in the sediment of two headwater reservoirs in Ontario’s Grand River Watershed (GRW). Using dated sediment cores from Belwood Lake and Conestogo Lake, she examines variations in MP abundance, flux, and composition through time and identifies factors influencing these changes. Her work provides a temporal perspective on microplastic pollution, identifies potential sources and pathways, and contributes valuable environmental data for future modelling of microplastics storage and transport within the GRW.

Meredith’s passion for protecting freshwater environments began with her fourth-grade science fair project on water pollution. Her interest deepened while obtaining her Bachelor of Science degree at Queen’s University in Kingston, ON. There, she majored in biochemistry and took several environmental chemistry and toxicology courses. After graduating, she worked as a research assistant at the University of Waterloo’s Biology Department, furthering her enthusiasm for environmental research.

As she approaches the completion of her MSc., Meredith hopes her work will inform practical solutions to mitigate environmental microplastic pollution in southern Ontario and beyond. Looking ahead, she aspires to continue contributing to environmental protection and her community through future research and other initiatives.