A WELSH researcher in microplastics has made history after becoming the first person to graduate with a doctorate from the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI).

Winnie Courtene-Jones, 29, from Cardigan, was presented with her qualification yesterday at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) UHI graduation ceremony.

While UHI has previously hosted PhD students, the final sign-off for its doctoral degrees has been made by either the universities of Edinburgh, Aberdeen, or Strathclyde as the institution’s sponsors. This postgraduate award marks a milestone for UHI after the Privy Council granted it research degree-awarding powers in 2017, meaning it can now award its own doctoral qualifications.

Courtene-Jones’s PhD thesis explored the extent of microplastic pollution in the deep sea, the first long-term study in this area, which found that 48% of creatures living 2000 metres under water have ingested microscopic pieces of plastic. The study sampled starfish and snails from the Rockall Trough off the Western Isles.

“It’s a great feeling to finish my PhD. It has been a challenging, but incredibly fulfilling experience. Being awarded the first University of the Highlands and Islands PhD was an unexpected, but fantastic bonus,” she said. “I chose to study here because I wanted a PhD experience that was more personal and intimate ... a university which knew who I was.”

She is now embarking on a research fellowship at the University of Plymouth where she will work with renowned marine microplastics expert, Professor Richard Thompson, the academic who first coined the term “microplastics”.

Professor Crichton Lang, UHI’s interim principal and vice-chancellor, said: “Gaining research degree-awarding powers was a key milestone in the development of our university.

I am delighted to see this come to fruition today as we present our first doctoral degrees.”