Cuizhu Chloe Ma

Cuizhu (Chloe) Ma is a postdoctoral researcher at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University. She earned her PhD in Environmental Science in June 2024 from East China Normal University in Shanghai, China, and spent one year as a visiting PhD student at the University of Geneva, Switzerland.

Her doctoral research focused on the distribution and translocation pathways of environmentally relevant micro- and nanoplastics in aquatic organisms, such as zebrafish and Daphnia magna. She has published four peer-reviewed papers in prestigious journals, including Environmental Science & Technology (ES&T), ES&T Letters, and the Journal of Hazardous Materials. Her most recent work, published in ES&T Letters, was selected as an Editor's Choice article.

In addition to her research, Chloe has extensive experience in reviewing scientific literature and writing proposals. She is adept at working in dynamic teams and quickly adapts to new environments. She frequently presents her work at seminars and international conferences, both through posters and oral presentations. Chloe is passionate about integrating fieldwork with laboratory experiments and is particularly interested in developing methods for measuring micro- and nanoplastics in environmental and biological samples, including snow, water, and fish.

Fields of Interest

Environmental behavior and health risks of environmental microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs)

Education

Sept. 2014-Jul. 2018 B.S. Ocean University of China

Sept. 2018-Jun. 2024 Ph.D East China Normal University

Nov. 2022-Oct. 2023 Visting Ph.D University of Geneva

Jul. 2024-Jan.2025 Post-doc State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research (SKLEC) of East China Normal University

Feb.2025-Present Post-doc Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) of Columbia University

Honors & Awards

Excellent Poster| The 2nd national environmental (marine) microplastic pollution and control 
academic committee
Title: “Application of fluorescent fibers in tracking microplastics in organisms”
June. 2019. Nanjing, China 
Excellent Poster| The 3rd national environmental (marine) microplastic pollution and control 
academic committee | 
Title: “Transport rhythm of microfibers in zebrafish”
June. 2021. Qingdao, China

(1) Ma CZ, Shi HH, Slaveykova IV*. 2024. Entanglement of Daphnia magna by fibrous microplastics through “Hook & Loop” action. Environmental Science & Technology Letters. 11(5): 433–437. (Editor’s choice)
(2) Ma CZ, Chen QQ*, Gao Z, Yang Y, Shi HH. 2023. Diel pattern of microplastic residues in zebrafish. Environmental Science & Technology. 57(44):16779-16787.
(3) Ma CZ, Li LY, Chen QQ*, Lee JS, Gong J, Shi HH. 2021. Application of internal persistent fluorescent fibers in tracking microplastics in vivo processes in aquatic organisms. Journal of Hazardous Materials. 401:123336.
(4) Ma CZ, Chen QQ, Li JW, Li BW, Liang WWH, Su L, Shi HH*. 2021. Distribution and translocation of micro- and nanoplastics in fish. Critical Reviews in Toxicology. 51(9):740-753.
(5) Chen QQ, Ma CZ, Lee YH, dos Santos MM, Kim M-S, Meng G, Snyder S, Lee J-S, Shi HH*. 2024. Non-negligible toxicity to fish in the early life stages triggered by aqueous leachate of takeaway plastic containers. Environmental Science & Technology. 58(23): 10041-10051.

(6) Zhao WJ, Ma CZ, Zheng YF, Chen YF, Chen QQ, Shi HH*., 2025. Styrofoams bunched by plant roots in coastal environments. Environmental Science & Technology Letters. 12(2): 203-208.

(7) Liang WWH, Li BW, Jeong F, Ma CZ, Zuo CC, Chen QQ, Shi HH*. 2023. Process-oriented impacts of microplastic fibers on behavior and histology of fish. Journal of Hazardous Materials. 448(3):130856.
(8) Yu HR, Chen QQ*, Qiu WH, Ma CZ, Gao Z, Chu WH, Shi HH. 2022. Concurrent water- and foodborne exposure to microplastics leads to differential microplastic ingestion and neurotoxic effects in zebrafish. Water Research. 219(4):118582.
(9) Li BW, Liang WWH, Liu Q-X, Fu SJ, Ma CZ, Chen QQ, Su L, Craig NJ, Shi HH*. 2021. Fish ingest microplastics unintentionally. Environmental Science & Technology. 55(15):10471-10479.
(10) Li QP, Feng ZH, Zhang T, Ma CZ, Shi HH*. 2020. Microplastics in the commercial seaweed nori. Journal of Hazardous Materials. 388:122060.
(11) Li MY, Chen QQ*, Ma CZ, Gao Z, Yu HR, Xu L, Shi HH. 2022. Effects of microplastics and food particles on organic pollutants bioaccumulation in equi-fugacity and above-fugacity scenarios. Science of the Total Environment. 812:152548.
(12) Li QP, Ma CZ, Zhang Q, Shi, HH*. 2021. Microplastics in shellfish and implications for food safety. Current Opinion in Food Science. 40:192-197.
(13) Li QP, Su L, Ma CZ, Feng ZH, Shi HH*. 2021. Plastic debris in coastal macroalgae. Environmental Research.112464.
(14) 马翠竹Ma CZ，赵雯君Zhao WJ，陈昱霏Chen YF，施华宏Shi HH. 2024.  微塑料的生物示踪和生物成像技术研究进展Advancements in bio-tracking and bio-imaging technologies for microplastics. 华东师范大学学报（自然科学版）Journal of East China Normal University (Natural Sciences)(In Chinese)