Persistent Digital Identifiers (UIDs)
ORCID :
0000-0002-6602-3710
Subject Area
Biological Oceanography, Marine Ecology
Pollution
Activities
Filipa Bessa is a biologist, with a Master’s degree in Marine Ecology and a PhD in Biosciences from the University of Coimbra (Portugal) in partnership with the University of Florence (Italy). She is currently a researcher at the Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra. Her research has focused on assessing plastic pollution in aquatic and coastal ecosystems. Her studies range from the coastal zone of Portugal to remote areas such as Antarctica or the Galapagos, Cape Verde, and now include studies in the lagoons of Serra da Estrela. She is a member of several advisory bodies (OSPAR and GESAMP/UNEP) and is a member of the International Working Group “Micro and Nano Plastics”, which supports the European Commission’s Scientific Advisory Mechanism (SAM). She coordinates citizen science projects that promote citizen engagement in the issue of marine pollution, including the lixomarinho.app platform for marine litter and the Portugal Pellets Watch initiative (educaplast.pt) for microplastics. In parallel, it promotes science communication initiatives (photographic exhibitions, lectures and workshops) related to ocean literacy and the problem of plastic pollution.