Speakers
MICROM 2025 – MICROplastics in Organic-rich Matrices
Novi Sad, Serbia | November 26-27, 2025
Dr Gunnar Gerdts
Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Helgoland, Germany
Dr Gunnar Gerdts is the head of the Marine Microbiological Ecology – Microplastics group of the section Shelf Sea System Ecology at the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research.
He has been working for several years on the occurrence of microplastics in several environmental compartments (e.g. water, sediments, biota, sea ice, snow) in different geographical areas (e.g. North Atlantic, Arctic, Antarctica) by using advanced spectroscopic techniques (e.g. FTIR Imaging, nanoFTIR, Raman microscopy).
Prof. Dr Christian Laforsch
Full Professor and Head of the Chair: Animal Ecology I, University of Bayreuth, Faculty of Biology, Chemistry, and Earth Sciences
Prof. Dr Christian Laforsch is a Full Professor at the University of Bayreuth, where he leads the Chair of Animal Ecology I within the Faculty of Biology, Chemistry, and Earth Sciences. He earned his Diploma in Biology from LMU Munich in 1999 and completed his PhD in Evolutionary Ecology in 2003. His research focuses on microplastic pollution, ecological interactions, and evolutionary adaptations.
Laforsch has held various academic positions, including Assistant Professor at LMU Munich and Director of the Limnological Field Station Seeon. He has played a key role in several major research initiatives, such as the DFG Collaborative Research Centre on Microplastics and the Horizon2020 project LimnoPlast. Recognized for his contributions, he has received multiple awards, including the 2023 Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher distinction.
In addition to his research, Laforsch serves as an editorial board member for the journal Microplastics and Nanoplastics and leads the PhD program Interdisciplinary Microplastic Sciences (InterMicro). His work continues to advance the understanding of microplastic pollution and its environmental impacts.
Dr Liam Morrison
Earth and Life Sciences, School of Natural Sciences and Ryan Institute, University of Galway, Ireland
Dr Liam Morrison is a lecturer in Earth and Ocean Sciences at the School of Natural Sciences and the Ryan Institute at University of Galway, Ireland. Dr Morrison is the Course Director and Academic Coordinator for the MSc in Marine and Freshwater Resources: Management (1MFR1) at the University of Galway and Academic) and is Deputy Director of the Ryan Institute’s Centre for One Health (COH).
Research interests include: presence, speciation and bioavailability of toxic and essential trace elements and organic contaminants in marine, freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems, obtaining data to support policy on environmental protection; characterisation and removal of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in water and biological systems; development and application of analytical and chemical methods for studying the presence of microplastics in biotic and abiotic systems; nutrient dynamics and eco-physiology of opportunistic macroalgal blooms (including invasive species) in estuaries and coastal bays in order to understand the mechanisms behind macroalgal blooms in order to develop management tools to control their size; application of remote sensing techniques in the spatial and temporal determination of macroalgal blooms; nature based solution and marine ecological restoration; marine radioactivity; and sustainable development of marine resources in the context of global change.
Dr Sebastian Primpke
Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Helgoland, Germany
Dr Sebastian Primpke is an expert in analytical and physical chemistry and holds a doctorate and a diploma degree in chemistry.
His doctoral studies focused on polymer science before he moved into his current position in the Microbial Ecology – Microplastics Research Group of the Shelf Sea System Ecology department. Here, he focused on the analysis of microplastics in various environmental compartments for microplastics ranging from aqueous samples (including melted ice and snow) over solid matrices to biota.
In this scope, he developed analytical methods using FTIR and Raman spectroscopy with the aim of an automated analysis of the results. He is part of different ISO and DIN working groups aiming on the standardization of microplastics sampling and analysis.
Prof. Dr Aleksandra Tubic
University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Sciences, Serbia
Prof. Dr Aleksandra Tubić, full professor at the University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Sciences. The focus of her scientific research is behaviour of microplastics in the environment. She has been intensively worked on the investigation of the plastic waste and microplastic pollution impact and its interactions with organic pollutants across diverse environmental mediums.
Currently, she is the leader of Serbian team in two projects under the HORIZON EUROPE program and holds the position of Vice Chair of the COST action PRIORITY.
Beyond her academic endeavours, she is actively involved in the work of the International Water Association (IWA Groundwater Management Group). Her scholarly contributions extend to over 200 publications, including 70 papers featured in SCIe journals (h-index 20).
Furthermore, she is deeply committed to fostering knowledge exchange between academia, industry, and policy makers in the realm of environmental protection.
Prof. Dr Jacob de Boer
Emeritus professor, Editor-in-Chief Chemosphere, Faculty of Science, Environmental Health & Toxicology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Prof. Dr Jacob de Boer is emeritus Professor of Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology at the Faculty of Science, Vrije University Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He obtained a PhD in analytical chemistry at the Vrije Universiteit in 1995. Prof. De Boer has worked for 50 years on the environmental contamination and analysis of persistent, bioaccumulating and toxic substances such as polychlorinated biphenyls, flame retardants, perfluorinated compounds, and other contaminants. He started his career in 1974 at the Netherlands Institute for Fisheries Research. In 2005 he was appointed as endowed professor at the Wageningen University, the Netherlands, after which in 2006 he moved as full professor to the Vrije University in Amsterdam. From 2012-2015 he was director of the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) at that same university, and from 2015-2022 head of the Department of Environment and Health.
In 1998 he won the Excellent Scientist Award of the Wageningen University. He co-authored one of the most cited papers in Chemosphere (2010, 88, 1119–1153), with more than 2000 citations. In 2015 he was honoured as one of the highly cited scientists in his field (Top 1%) according to Thomson & Reuter.
He was advisor for the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and a member of the European Scientific Advisory Panel of the CEFIC Long Range Initiative. In 2013 he was appointed by the Chinese government for five years as National Expert for China under the 1000-talents plan. He has (co)coordinated a large number of European research projects, and many research projects for other international organisations and industries. He advised the Belgian government on public health in relation with a large PFAS pollution in Flanders. He organised numerous international interlaboratory studies on contaminants. He is regularly consulted by lawyers for advice in lawsuits on PFAS or other contaminants. In 2023 he was appointed by the Dutch Minister for the Environment as expert for monitoring the health related to the steel industry in the Amsterdam harbour. He is a regular reviewer of scientific projects and programmes in various countries. He is a regular guest in TV and radio programs in the Netherlands and abroad.
He has published more than 250 peer reviewed articles, among which one paper in Nature and one in Science, two books and 22 book chapters. His H-index is 65. He is editor-in-chief of Chemosphere and member of the editorial board of the Handbook of Environmental Chemistry.
Prof. Dr Mira Pucarevic
EDUCONS University, Faculty for environmental protection
Prof. Dr Mira Pucarevic graduated from the Faculty of Technology in Novi Sad, specializing in Chemical Processing and Pharmaceutical Engineering. She earned her master’s and doctorate in pesticide residue analysis in water. From 1987 to 2008, she worked at PIK Bečej and NSSEME Institute, testing irrigation water, pesticide formulations, organic pollutants in soil, and biodiesel composition.
Since 2008, she has been a professor at Educons University, teaching Instrumental Methods of Analysis, Environmental Science, and Food Testing. She has participated in numerous national and international projects. She has published 221 scientific works and currently serves as Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Protection and Acting Rector of Educons University.
Dr Fangzhu Wu
Microbial Ecology-Microplastics Research Group Shelf Sea System Ecology Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Helgoland, Germany
Dr Fangzhu Wu did her PhD at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany, where she focused on the high-resolution lateral and vertical transport of microplastics in the water column and deep-sea sediments, investigating their distribution from the temperate waters of the southern North Sea to the Arctic Barents Sea. Through this work, she developed strong expertise in field sampling, laboratory analysis, and data interpretation.
Previously, she worked on microplastic pollution in different environmental matrices in an aquacultural bay in China at the Second Institute of Oceanography, MNR, gaining experience in microplastic extraction, identification, and ecotoxicological assessments of commercial fish species.
She is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the GREENLand project, where she applies her expertise to studying microplastics in agricultural soils while contributing to knowledge transfer, education, and international collaboration.
Dr Ana Mendes
University of Galway, Ireland
Dr Ana Rita M. Mendes is a marine biologist specialised in biodiversity, ecology, and genetics. She earned her PhD at the University of Galway, Ireland, where she developed analytical methods to detect and track microplastics in the marine environment. Before her doctoral studies, she gained experience in geological and environmental analysis while working for several years in a petrology laboratory.
Currently, she is a postdoctoral researcher in the GREENLand project, which focuses on developing digital tools and training researchers to investigate microplastics in soil, water, and microorganisms while promoting collaboration between institutions and industry for a plastic-free future. She has contributed to multiple national and international research projects focused on marine pollution assessment. Her research aims to contribute to a better understanding of marine pollution and its impact on ecosystem health.
Dr Gunnar Gerdts
Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Helgoland, Germany
Prof. Dr Christian Laforsch
Chair Animal Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences, University of Bayreuth
Dr Liam Morrison
Earth and Life Sciences, School of Natural Sciences and Ryan Institute, University of Galway, Ireland
Dr Sebastian Primpke
Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Helgoland, Germany
Dr Aleksandra Tubic
University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Sciences, Serbia
Prof. Dr Jacob de Boer
Emeritus professor, Editor-in-Chief Chemosphere, Faculty of Science, Environmental Health & Toxicology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Fangzhu Wu
Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Helgoland, Germany
Ana Mendes
University of Galway, Ireland