Josie Russell
Josie Russell has over ten years experience working across disciplines of marine ecology, waste management and marine litter. She is a researcher and scientific advisor on issues relating to marine litter pollution. obtained her MSc in Tropical Coastal Management from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK in 2012
Currently working in the monitoring group based at Cefas’ Lowestoft laboratory, Josie works as Principal Investigator on national and international programmes relating to marine litter pollution. She provides advice and recommendations for approaches to mitigate against inputs of marine litter into the marine environment and reduce their potential impacts. Her work focuses on scientific research on marine litter and using this as evidence to inform policy. She leads UK scientific advice on marine litter for OSPAR's (regional seas convention) Intersessional Correspondence Group on Marine Litter (ICGML) and for the Environmental Impacts of Human Activities Committee (EIHA). Part of this work includes being the chair of the Seafloor Litter Expert Group and being part of the Beach Litter Expert Group, contributing towards Coordinated Environmental Monitoring Programme (CEMP) harmonised technical guidelines for monitoring marine litter, and using the data to produce spatial and temporal assessments of marine litter in the North-East Atlantic.
Nationally, for the UK, Josie is part of the Monitoring and Reporting Group and Clean Safe Seas Evidence Group, and has set up and co- chairs the marine litter monitoring sub group, bringing together government organisations, researchers and NGO's.
Josie is Principal Investigator for two European Interreg projects, Clean Atlantic and OceanWise and has been part of the team delivering international programmes such as the Commonwealth Litter Programme and Ocean Country Partnership Programme over the last five years. Working with governments and stakeholders from all over the world, including Europe, South Pacific, Caribbean, South- East Asia, and Africa. Areas of work focus on monitoring and research on macroplastics, specifically seafloor and beach litter. Bringing together work across disciplines at Cefas including mapping, modelling, monitoring, ecotoxicology, socio-economics, waste composition analysis, awareness & education, ALDFG, invasive species, data analysis, policy advice and best practice dissemination to produces comprehensive advice and evidence on marine litter.
Research publications: Google Scholar
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