Aron Stubbins

Aron Stubbins is a Professor at Northeastern University, holding appointments in Marine and Environmental Sciences, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, and Civil and Environmental Engineering. He is a Center Member at The Plastics Center and leads interdisciplinary research on the global carbon cycle and environmental plastics. His work spans field studies in oceans, rivers, glaciers, and hydrothermal vents, emphasizing human impacts on natural systems.

Stubbins earned his PhD in Marine Biogeochemistry from Newcastle University (2002) and held academic positions at Old Dominion University and Skidaway Institute before joining Northeastern in 2018. He teaches Earth’s Changing Cycles (ENVR 2200), exploring human-altered biogeochemical cycles and plastics as a novel global cycle.

His research focuses on dissolved organic carbon (DOC) dynamics, microplastic distribution, and climate feedbacks. Notable projects include NSF-funded studies on plastic-derived DOC interactions with marine carbon pumps and microplastic accumulation in floodplains. He has secured over $1.3M in grants and is a Fellow of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography.

• Key Research Themes: Carbon cycle, biogeochemistry, microplastics, climate change, and environmental chemistry.
• Recent Highlights: Co-authored 2024 Science paper on plastics in Earth’s systems; featured in media for discoveries of ocean microplastic smog and global plastic pollution treaty advocacy.

Stubbins collaborates internationally, including contributions to U.S.-based and global initiatives addressing plastic pollution and carbon cycle processes.