Richard Thompson OBE FRS

Richard Thompson OBE FRS is Professor of Marine Biology at the University of Plymouth. He is a world expert on plastic pollution. In 2004 he published the first paper using the term microplastics to describe the environmental accumulation of microscopic fragments of plastic. His team are at the forefront of research on plastic pollution: its distribution, impacts and solutions. Their work has directly informed policies and was recognised by a Queens Anniversary Prize in 2020. He is a founder member and co-coordinator of the Scientists Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty; a group of over 400 scientists across 63 countries. Members of the Coalition are free of conflicts of interest with Treaty outcomes and work voluntarily to help supply  negotiators with the best available evidence via bilateral workshops, policy briefs and commentaries.