Dr Tom Allison (He/Him)

Tom Allison is an EPSRC-funded Postdoctoral Research Fellow based in the Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water and Waste (CREWW), where he investigates the ecological impacts of non-plastic textile fibres in aquatic systems.

Working with Professor Rich Brazier and Professor Ceri Lewis, his 18-month fellowship examines how different cellulose-based materials degrade across contrasting aquatic environments, how manufacturing processes influence that degradation, and whether fibre abundance and degradation state affect ecotoxicological responses in aquatic species. The project also explores practical tools and indicators to improve fibre monitoring in wastewater and natural waters, with the aim of informing prevention at source.

His research background is interdisciplinary, spanning environmental science, ecology, data science, and the social sciences. He is particularly interested in anthropogenic aquatic pollution and in overlooked material pollutants, especially those marketed as “environmentally friendly” without robust environmental assessment. His earlier training in BSc Human Geography and Msc Global Ecology and Conservation helped shape a broader, systems-based perspective to more effectively investigate environmental challenges.

He completed an interdisciplinary Biosciences PhD at Cardiff University, where he worked with ecologists, chemists, and engineers to investigate the degradation and environmental fate of cellulose-based wet wipes marketed as “biodegradable” in wastewater and freshwater systems. During this time, he also worked with Welsh Government, providing research evidence that supported the inclusion of wipes in the single-use plastic products ban. Alongside this, he worked as a data analyst on the CastCo project, assessing freshwater eDNA extraction methods for biomonitoring and analysing complex ecological datasets from the Llyn Brianne Observatory.

Prior to his current fellowship, he held an EPSRC-funded postdoctoral fellowship with Cardiff University in partnership with Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water. In that role, he analysed large, complex, operational datasets on sewer misuse-related blockages and flooding to identify wipe flushing hotspots, and worked with behavioural scientists to support the development of a targeted interventions framework to prevent sewer misuse and reduce environmental pollution more effectively.