Gift Samuel David

I am a President’s Doctoral Scholar at the University of Manchester, researching the impacts of micro/nanoplastics and their ecocorona properties on the physiology and behaviour of Cyprinids and Gasterosteids.

My work examines how these pollutants, alone and in combination with climate stressors such as thermal stress and PAHs, affect fish behaviour, physiology, and health, with broader implications for aquatic ecosystems.

BSc Fisheries and Aquaculture 2017 University of Uyo, Nigeria.

MSc Pollution and Environmental Control 2022 The University of Manchester, United Kingdom.

MSc Marine Biological Resources 2024 Universiteit Gent, Belgium.

PhD Environmental Biology 2028* The University of Manchester, United Kingdom.

👋 Nice to Meet You 🤝

I earned my first degree in Fisheries and Aquaculture from the University of Uyo, Nigeria, where I evaluated the growth performance of Clarias gariepinus using on-farm and commercial feeds. I then worked for five years as a Research Assistant at the University of Uyo, gaining expertise in experimental design, statistical analysis, data interpretation, and manuscript preparation, with research focused on sustainable aquaculture, food security, and the impacts of freshwater and marine pollution.

Motivated to explore the effects of microplastics, I pursued an MSc in Pollution and Environmental Control at the University of Manchester as a Commonwealth Scholar, where I investigated the accumulation and distribution of microplastics in surface water, sediment, and point bars of the River Tame, Greater Manchester. This deepened my interest in micro/nanoplastic interactions with aquatic life and led me to a second MSc in Marine Biological Resources as an Erasmus Mundus Scholar at Ghent University, Belgium, alongside partner universities in Italy, Sweden, France, and Ireland. My projects included characterising microfibres in commercial fish along the South African coast, studying the effects of pharmaceuticals (paracetamol) on calanoid copepods, and assessing histopathological changes in blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) exposed to anthropogenic pollutants, including microplastics.

My overarching research goal is to understand the complex interactions between contaminants of emerging concern and aquatic ecosystems, with a focus on micro- and nanoplastic pollution in pelagic and benthic communities. Currently, as a President’s Doctoral Scholar at the University of Manchester under the supervision of Prof. Holly Shiels, Dr Cyrill Bussy, and Prof. Ian Kane, my PhD research investigates how microplastics, their ecocorona properties, and environmental factors influence the health, behaviour, and growth of freshwater teleosts.

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