Dr. Anja Malawi Brandon is the U.S. Plastics Policy Analyst at Ocean Conservancy working to advance plastic policy solutions at the state and federal level. Prior to joining Ocean Conservancy, Anja was the AGU/AAAS Congressional Science Fellow in the office of U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, where she was the lead policy advisor on issues including plastics, oceans, and water.
Anja holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering and Science from Stanford University where she was awarded an NSF graduate research fellowship for her work. Her doctoral research focused on developing novel methods to degrade common plastics, an essential step towards creating cost-effective waste management systems that mitigate the environmental impact of plastics.