Welcome to webpage of the Rochman Lab in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto and part of the EEB Conservation Group.
Motivated by basic and applied questions, our research seeks to understand the sources, fate and ecological implications of anthropogenic stressors, including synthetic chemicals and microplastics, in freshwater and marine ecosystems. Modern aquatic ecosystems are infiltrated with diverse mixtures of pollutants, resource extraction, and changes in physical parameters that can act together as a multiple stressor to alter biotic systems at all levels of biological organization, including individuals, populations and communities.
Our research program uses tools from ecology, ecotoxicology, environmental chemistry and physiology to investigate (1) the sources, (2) fate and (3) ecological implications of the mixture of anthropogenic stressors to freshwater and marine ecosystems. Because plastic debris provides a unique opportunity to examine a complex mixture of contaminants, much of our past and current work includes plastic pollution. Plastic debris is associated with the physical stressor of the particle, innate chemicals added during manufacturing, and chemicals that accumulate on microplastics from surrounding water.
We are committed to doing ecological research that is applicable beyond the lab, e.g., policy-makers and the public. To bridge the gap, we communicate our work beyond academia through the U of T Trash Team, and we collaborate with non-profit organizations and government agencies.
Interested in joining the lab?
Postdocs: I am not currently looking for a postdoc, as I do not currently have funding to support one. I would be happy to consider postdoctoral fellows applying for external funding (e.g., Liber Ero, Banting).
Grad Students: I am no longer looking for a graduate student for Fall of 2023.
Undergraduate Students: BSc students are always welcome to reach out for research opportunities.
We lead with kindness. The Rochman Lab stands against racism in all forms. In our lab, everyone is treated as an equal, and with respect.
Rochman Lab 