Justine Ammendolia (she/her) is an PhD student at Dalhousie University that researches environmental plastic pollution in Eastern Canada. Justine completed her BSc in Zoology at the University of Guelph (’14) and MSc in Marine Biology at Memorial University of Newfoundland (17’).

Since beginning her research on plastic pollution in 2016, her work focuses on identifying plastic leakage hotspots and implementing solutions for improving waste collection efforts. Justine has worked on various projects ranging from surveying marine debris on remote beaches on the island of Newfoundland to tracking plastic pollution from the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto. Currently, she’s exploring how national single-use plastic ban policies impact the litter landscapes of Halifax and Dartmouth, and is also working on Sable Island to examine microplastic pollution pathways that travel through air currents. She has been nationally recognized as a NSERC, Killam and Nova Scotia Graduate Doctoral Scholar.

Justine is an active research grantee with the National Geographic Society (Washington D.C.) and frequently shares her work on their global reaching platforms. She also sits as a mentor on the Youth Council for the Chief Science Advisor of Canada and advocates for diversity in natural sciences.