Miss Maddison Carbery

Maddison completed her Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Science and Management at The University of Newcastle in 2013. She then went on to complete Honours in 2014, supported by NSW DPI Fisheries. Her honours research focused on the effectiveness of no-take sanctuary zones in shallow water habitats using baited remote underwater video (BRUVs) as a passive tool to assess fish and crustacean assemblages in the Port Stephens-Great Lakes Marine Park. This was the first study to assess biodiversity within the marine park since it was established in 2007. 

In 2017, Maddison commenced her PhD with the Global Center for Environmental Remediation (GCER) at The University of Newcastle. During the earlier stages of her PhD, Maddison performed a number of aquatic based surveys to develop baseline information on the occurrence, distribution and characteristics of microplastics in Australia’s coastal environments, before developing an interest in the chemical fingerprint of environmental plastics. She is now working closely with citizen science organisations Tangaroa Blue and the Australian Microplastic Assessment project (AUSMAP), as well as the NSW DPI Fisheries Institute to understand the impacts of microplastics and contaminants on organisms belonging to valuable marine food webs and the potential implications on human health.

Since 2012, Maddison has also been active in a number of volunteer roles, including Vice President of NUSEC (Newcastle University Student Environment Club), Chair of Ocean and Coastal Care Initiatives (OCCI) and Community Representative on the Lake Macquarie Estuary Management Committee.