Patricia Corcoran is a Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at Western University. Recruited to Western in 2003, her research focuses on natural and anthropogenic sedimentary deposits in order to gain an understanding of Earth’s changing surface and atmospheric processes through time. One significant element of Dr. Corcoran’s research concerns the distribution, accumulation, and degradation of plastic debris in many depositional compartments (benthic sediment, surface water, air, soils, fish, beaches). Her work on microplastic pollution involves collaboration with members of the Federal and Provincial Governments, local Conservation Authorities, First Nations Communities, and Academics in the disciplines of chemistry, biology, engineering, statistics, mathematics, visual arts, and the humanities. Patricia Corcoran’s research has been featured in media outlets across the globe, including National Geographic Magazine, the Huffington Post, Science Magazine, the CBC, and the New York Times.