Dr. Shaw’s research interests are to improve the health and conservation of the oceans using chemical and toxicological measurements. Her research background includes marine biology, marine policy, and toxicology and has ranged from the effects of inundation on embryonic development in Loggerhead sea turtles to the accumulation and effects of metals on sea birds and sea turtles of the Hawaiian Islands. Her current research focuses on chemical additives in plastics. As a NRC postdoctoral fellow with NIST she will develop much needed analytical methods to quantify chemical additives commonly found in marine debris. In addition, she will develop laboratory based leaching studies to determine rates at which targeted chemicals desorb from plastic in seawater and during animal digestion.