My research focuses on the biological effects of emerging environmental pollutants, particularly microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. My doctoral research investigated plastisphere microbial communities associated with macroplastics and microplastics in the Kuroshio Current and hydrothermal vent environments of northern Taiwan.

At IES, I plan to extend this research from marine environmental microbiology into cellular environmental toxicology. My proposed work will examine how PFAS and microplastics are taken up and retained by macrophages, how their different uptake pathways converge within phagolysosomal compartments, and whether combined exposure produces persistent mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammatory responses. The project will integrate LC-MS/MS, flow cytometry, cellular imaging, serial cell passaging, and NanoSIMS fluorine and carbon isotope imaging to investigate pollutant localization and persistence at the subcellular level.