Dr. Anna Freeman – Research Associate, Imperial College London (AMRWATCH)
Hello! I’m Anna – an Environmental Scientist with a broad interest in ecosystem health, water resources, and climate risk. As a Research Associate at Imperial College London, I am assessing the hazard and risk of antibiotic manufacturing waste as part of the AMRWATCH project (https://www.imperial.ac.uk/amr-watch/).
For the past year I’ve been busy looking into the extent of environmental pollution, waste pathways, toxicity of antibiotic residues, their role in the emergence of antimicrobial resistance, and the effects on human & animal health. My research helps develop globally applicable tools for detecting antibiotics and resistant bacteria in industrial effluents and the surrounding environment. (https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/241771/amrwatch-india-visit/).
Fig. 1. Researching hazard & risks (AMRWATCH)
You can find me in London writing scientific reports, policy briefs, organising meetings engaging with stakeholders, designing models, and analysing data. Aside from AMRWATCH, I assess global vulnerability to droughts and natural resource-driven fragility for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/234214/mapping-global-resources-fragility-the-water-energy-food/).
One of my favourite projects was at the University of Reading’s School of Meteorology, where I estimated multi-sectoral indicators of climate risk for the UK. (https://uk-cri.org/ ). I enjoy programming, so give me a shout if you need help with Python or R.
In 2019 I completed a PhD at the University of Reading & Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, UK. My study focused on plankton dynamics of the River Thames, modelling risks of eutrophication due to changes in the river’s physical environment. Photographing plankton has now become one of my favourite hobbies. Prior to this, I investigated river hydrology, catchment-scale nutrient load, eutrophication, lake morphometry, and water chemistry.
Outside of work, I spend as much time as possible outside, running, hiking, gardening, travelling, and photographing. I also love poetry and theatre.
Find me on Twitter: @Anya_Freeman, https://www.linkedin.com/in/anya-freeman/, https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/anna.freeman
Photos below: cactus, water fleas under microscope, and white water rafting during a research conference in New Zealand.
