The PhD student making strides in environmental health research

28 July 2023

PhD candidate Rupert Legg's research into the health implications of contaminated environments has garnered international recognition and an invitation to become a visiting scholar.

Rupert Legg stands in front of a green wall of plants. He his talking to the camera.

Rupert Legg joined ISF as a PhD candidate with a background in human geography and psychology. While here, he has furthered his thesis research investigating the mental and physical health impacts on people living near environments that have been contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Rupert's research has involved extensive collaboration with residents of these sites, as well as regulators and site managers, through interviews and surveys. The thesis highlights exactly how the environment relates to mental health and what can be done to minimise the negative effects of environmental contamination.

The aim is to improve current management approaches to protecting communities affected by environmental contamination... [and to] make the case for the need to better regulate the chemicals we produce, including preventing their leakage into the environment.
– Rupert Legg, ISF

"The aim," Rupert explains, "is to improve current management approaches to protecting communities affected by environmental contamination... [and to] make the case for the need to better regulate the chemicals we produce, including preventing their leakage into the environment."

Alongside his PhD research, Rupert has had the chance to work on as a part-time Research Assistant at ISF. In this capacity, he has gained experience working on projects in sustainable housing, green roofs, air pollution, and product stewardship.

In 2022, Rupert's research led to his inclusion in the German Government's Green Talents award, which honours the contributions of young researchers from around the world and their achievements and efforts towards making their communities, countries and societies more sustainable.

This year in 2023, Rupert has been invited to act as a visiting scholar at the Leibniz Universität Hannoverin Germany, where he is Leibniz Universität Hannover Hannover, Lower Saxony, Germany exploring whether green spaces containing plant species that produce harmful pollen and allergens may alter or mediate users’ experiences and perceptions of these spaces.