• Posted on 28 Jul 2023
  • 2-minute read

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. 

Rupert Legg, ISF

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.

Rupert explains his work for the Green Talents awards

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Descriptive transcript

Hello, my name is Rupert Legg and I am a PhD candidate at the Institute for Sustainable Futures within the University of Technology Sydney, Australia.

As someone with a background in human geography and psychology, my research explores the connection between the environment and humans' mental health.

For my PhD, which I am hoping to complete at the end of this year, I am examining the mental health effects of living with environmental contamination—in this case, chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.

This has involved interviewing residents living around PFAS-contaminated sites in Australia, where I have found that those who live closest to the sites experience higher levels of depression, anxiety and stress.

Beyond this, I am also interested in exploring other environmental conditions such as green spaces and green roofs, and how they may shape mental health and wellbeing.

I am very keen to continue doing such research in the future and look forward very much to meeting the other Green Talents.

Research outputs and media

Examining sustainability claims of bioplastics - ISF project, 2023

Why bioplastics won’t solve our plastic problems - The Conversation, March 2023

Read more about Rupert and see his publications here

Rupert's supervisors

Professor Jason Prior

Dr Erica McIntyre

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