By Petra Dreiser

For her skilled and careful supervision and mentorship of graduate students, Chelsea Rochman has received a 2026 School of Graduate Studies Early Career Supervision Award.

Rochman, an aquatic ecotoxicologist, is interested in how anthropogenic pollutants interact with and affect ecosystems at all levels of biological organization. She has spent most of her career assessing the sources, fate, and effects of plastic pollution.

In addition to her research, Rochman works vigorously to translate science into policy. She leads working groups around the world to inform monitoring and risk assessments for microplastics. Locally, through the U of T Trash Team, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary next year, she actively reduces plastic pollution in the City of Toronto through cleanup. She also works with students to pilot solutions that feed into policy to prevent future plastic-pollution emissions. 

Her work as a graduate supervisor began in 2016, when Rochman first joined the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (EEB). Since then, 12 of her mentees have graduated (seven as PhDs and five with master’s degrees); her supervision of six more (five PhDs and one MSc) continues. “I have found mentoring students in research and helping them find the next steps on their career paths to be among the most rewarding aspects of my job,” Rochman says. “How to do it right is something I constantly think about.”

To Rochman, the principal goal of supervision is “to help students grow their ability to think deeply and creatively. We teach them that they can take an idea and, via baby steps, complete a scientific inquiry” that, ultimately, might facilitate the use of science in decision and policymaking.

“I have found mentoring students in research and helping them find the next steps on their career paths to be among the most rewarding aspects of my job.”

Clearly, her students, who nominated her for the award, think she is doing a superb job. “Chelsea fosters an environment where students are encouraged to think critically, develop independence, and discover knowledge through thoughtful guidance rather than direct instructions,” states Francis Nuamah, a PhD candidate and current member of the Rochman Lab. He particularly appreciates Rochman’s consistent support for students “in forming their own scientific understanding while providing thoughtful feedback that strengthens confidence.”

Eden Hataley, a former student who now works in sustainability at Red Bull Canada, could not agree more. Describing Rochman as “a wonderful supervisor,” she says that she continues to draw on the mindset her mentor instilled in her as she forges her own career: “Working with Chelsea taught me that no challenge is insurmountable. She dreams big and delivers big, and she teaches her students that there is always a way through.”

The positive energy goes both ways, Rochman emphasizes. “I get a ton out of my mentor-mentee relationships,” she says; “I grow with them. Every student is different, and we are always learning together.”

To EEB chair Joel Levine, “this award comes as no surprise. Chelsea is an outstanding scientist, but also an exceptional mentor. Students seek her out because they know they will receive rigorous training, thoughtful guidance, and unwavering support. EEB is proud of Chelsea. She truly deserves this award for the positive impact she has had on so many of our graduate students.”