Overview
I am a PhD student & technician working on a global GCRF funded project investigating the effect of agricultural plastic use on food security and sustainable development in developing countries. My research within this project focuses on the effect, fate, and legacy of agricultural mulch film use on the agroecosystem. I am interested in the chemical degradation of plastic, changes to soil microbial communities and general effects on soil & crop health.
Qualifications
- MSc: Ecology & Conservation
Uppsala University, 2018–2020 - BSc: Biology
Ludwig-Maximilian Universität München, 2013–2016 - MSc: Erasmus+ Exchange Student
University of Exeter, 2019–2020
Publications
2025
- PublishedAssessment of Four Artificial Methods for Aging Plastic Mulch Films According to Efficiency, Rate, and Similarity to Natural Field-Aged Plastics
Graf, M., Reay, M. K., Dimitriou, A., Chadwick, D. & Jones, D. L., 18 Jan 2025, In: Journal of Polymers and the Environment.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - Accepted/In pressBiodegradable and non-biodegradable plastic mulches enhance chili production in Sri Lankan wet zone agriculture
Thennakoon, N., Wickrama, S., Madhuranga, N., Jayasundara, C., Dias, A., Thumbe Dhura, M. G., Ariyaratna, M., Karunarathna, A., Chathurika, S., Graf, M., Reay, M. K., Chadwick, D. & Jones, D. L., 16 Jun 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - E-pub ahead of printDifferential effects of field-aged versus new LDPE and PLA/PBAT plastic film fragments on soil quality and crop productivity
Graf, M., Reay, M. K., Florent, P. J., Brown, R. W., Chadwick, D. R. & Jones, D. L., 15 Sept 2025, In: Journal of Hazardous Materials. 496, p. 139398
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedHigher potential leaching of inorganic and organic additives from biodegradable compared to conventional agricultural plastic mulch film
Reay, M. K., Graf, M., Murphy, M., Li, G., Yan, C., Bhattacharya, M., Osbahr, H., Ma, J., Chengtao, W., Shi, X., Ren, S., Cui, J., Collins, C., Chadwick, D., Jones, D. L., Evershed, R. P. & Lloyd, C., 25 Jan 2025, In: Journal of Hazardous Materials. 488, 137147.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedSeparation and Identification of Conventional Microplastics from Farmland Soils
Ren, S., Graf, M., Wang, K., Zhang, J., Zhang, H., Liu, X., Li, J., Zu, T., Ren, K., Sun, Y., Qi, R., Collins, B., Xu, L., Jiang, X., Cui, J., Ding, F., Yan, C., Liu, X., Jones, D. L. & Chadwick, D., 21 Mar 2025, In: Journal of Visualized Experiments. 217
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2024
- Published12-month field degradation of mulch films above &below ground - effect on polymer properties, soil microbial communities & MP production rate
Graf, M. & Dimitriou, A., 5 May 2024.
Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster › peer-review - PublishedField-based assessment of the effect of conventional and biodegradable plastic mulch film on nitrogen partitioning, soil microbial diversity, and maize biomass
Graf, M., Greenfield, L., Reay, M. K., Bargiela, R., Golyshin, P., Evershed, R. P., Lloyd, C. E. M., Williams, G., Chadwick, D. & Jones, D. L., 1 Oct 2024, In: Applied Soil Ecology. 202, 105595.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - E-pub ahead of printMicrobial degradation of bioplastic (PHBV) is limited by nutrient availability at high microplastic loadings
Reay, M. K., Graf, M., Greenfield, L., Bargiela, R., Onyije, C., Lloyd, C. E. M., Bull, I. D., Evershed, R. P., Golyshin, P., Chadwick, D. & Jones, D. L., 29 Oct 2024, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Environmental Science: Advances. 4, p. 133-146 14 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2023
- PublishedBioplastic (PHBV) addition to soil alters microbial community structure and negatively affects plant-microbial metabolic functioning in maize
Brown, R. W., Chadwick, D. R., Zang, H., Graf, M., Liu, X., Wang, K., Greenfield, L. M. & Jones, D. L., 5 Jan 2023, In: Journal of Hazardous Materials. 441, 129959.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedIncreasing concentration of pure micro- and macro-LDPE and PP plastic negatively affect crop biomass, nutrient cycling, and microbial biomass
Graf, M., Greenfield, L., Reay, M. K., Bargiela, R., Williams, G., Onyije, C., Lloyd, C. E. M., Bull, I. D., Evershed, R. P., Golyshin, P., Chadwick, D. & Jones, D. L., 15 Sept 2023, In: Journal of Hazardous Materials. 458, p. 131932
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedLDPE and biodegradable PLA-PBAT plastics differentially affect plant-soil nitrogen partitioning and dynamics in a Hordeum vulgare mesocosm
Reay, M. K., Greenfield, L. M., Graf, M., Lloyd, C. E. M., Evershed, R. P., Chadwick, D. R. & Jones, D. L., 5 Apr 2023, In: Journal of Hazardous Materials. 447, 130825.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2022
- PublishedField response of N2O emissions, microbial communities, soil biochemical processes and winter barley growth to the addition of conventional and biodegradable microplastics
Greenfield, L. M., Graf, M., Rengaraj, S., Bargiela, R., Williams, G., Golyshin, P. N., Chadwick, D. R. & Jones, D. L., 15 Sept 2022, In: Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 336, 108023.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review