Erin Murphy (L) and Chelsea Rochman (supplied images)
Chelsea Rochman and Erin Murphy recognized by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Published: May 20, 2026
Chelsea Rochman, associate professor in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Arts & Science, and her former postdoctoral fellow Erin Murphy have been recognized with the 2025 Cozzarelli Prize by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
The annual prize acknowledges research teams whose articles published in the journal reflect scientific excellence and originality.
Rochman and Murphy are senior author and first author, respectively, of the first global study to quantify the likelihood of mortality caused by the ingestion of macroplastics in sea birds, marine mammals and sea turtles. Co-authored with experts from Ocean Conservancy, the study fills a gap in monitoring and risk-assessment frameworks for macroplastics, and breaks down potentially fatal quantities by plastic type.
“Shockingly, even one bottle cap is 95 per cent likely to kill a seabird,” says Rochman. She and colleagues hope these stark numbers will “underline the urgency of both prevention and cleanup,” translating into “specific, effective plastic-pollution policies.”
“Chelsea Rochman's research continues to provide a template for anyone interested in studying the devastating effects of plastics in the environment,” said Joel Levine, chair of the department of ecology and evolutionary biology. “With this particular work, she and her team have documented how easily plastics in the water – a scourge visited on the planet by humanity – can kill sea creatures and turn the food web into a deathtrap. It is encouraging to see this research provide a foundation for policy at a global level.”
