Denise Hardesty

Dr Hardesty is a principal research scientist for CSIRO’s Oceans and Atmosphere where she leads a portfolio of projects focused on understanding plastic pollution sources, drivers, movement and impacts. Her team takes a risk-based approach to addressing biodiversity impacts resulting from ingestion and entanglement, combining empirical evidence with model-based approaches. Her marine debris work also focuses on gear loss from fisheries, drivers for litter losses into the environment, waste policy effectiveness, and non-point source reduction. As recognition of the plastic pollution issue grows, she is increasingly asked to provide expert opinion on marine debris related matters to international and domestic governments, industry, fisheries and other stakeholders aiming to reduce this important trans-boundary issue.