Affiliation: Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), Ostend, Belgium

Dr. Ana Isabel Catarino is a Senior Researcher at the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ, Belgium), an interdisciplinary institution collaborating closely with academia, policymakers, educators, and the public in marine sciences. She currently leads the research team on Plastics in Local and Global Waters, exploring the impact of plastic pollution on marine ecosystems. Her research primarily investigates the combined effects of human activities on aquatic organisms, such as nano- and microplastics & climate change stressors. Dr. Catarino is also engaged in citizen science initiatives to raise public awareness on plastic pollution. She tweets at @Zebrazuli.