Youth march at the COP21 Negotiations in Paris, 2015.

Alice speaking to Citytv at the March for Jobs, Justice, and Climate in Toronto in summer of 2015 about the importance of youth in fighting for climate-friendly policies.

Session at the Paris Climate Summit (COP21) in 2015!

Alice speaking at the Museum of Contemporary Arts (MOCA) in 2019 about microplastic pollution in San Francisco Bay (her Master's research) and the Arctic. 

A Bit About Me

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Hi! I am a PhD student in the Rochman Lab at the University of Toronto studying the sources, transport, and fate of plastic pollution in the environment as my main thesis. On the side, I also investigate the interconnections between plastic pollution, carbon cycling, and climate change. 

I believe that every individual has the power to change the world. Specifically, I focus on environmental advocacy and empowering youth. 

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To date, I have initiated and been involved in numerous research endeavours, leadership roles, technological projects, and social initiatives. I also love cooking and travelling, and I play a lot of badminton!

More information about my career and various projects, please see the left-hand side menu.

Thank you for visiting this site.

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News and Media about Me:

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Alumni feature in the School of Environment's news digest ("ENVision") in May of 2020: 

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The complete list of 2020 Vanier Scholars can be found here (see 'NSERC' tab for Xia Zhu, Oceanography): https://vanier.gc.ca/en/scholar_search-chercheur_recherche_2020.html

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Public Talk at the Museum of Contemporary Arts (MOCA), From the Bay Area to the Arctic: Shezad Dawood and Alice Xia Zhu. Video:  (2019)

Clean up the Don River 2018: https://www.utoronto.ca/news/paddle-don-offers-u-t-ecologists-perfect-opportunity-lead-trash-cleanup

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Innovamasters Design Competition 2014-2015: "How might we harness human motion to generate clean energy?"

UofT Students at COP21 Assess new Paris Agreement:  (UofT News)

UofT Students head to COP21:

(Varsity News)

https://www.utoronto.ca/news/historic-flawed-u-t-student-delegates-evaluate-cop21-agreement

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Shad Valley alumni bringing change to the world, top stories of 2015: https://www.exchangemagazine.com/morningpost/2016/week1/Friday/16010801.htm#anchor

A Youth Campaigner's Thoughts on Local Climate Action and their Impact:

(2:15)

School of Environment Scholarship Winners 2014-2015: , pg 17

Schulich Leader Nominee Profiles 2012-2013:

OFSAA 2012 Year in Recap: Toronto City Single's Winner and OFSAA B-Flight Finalist

Alice at a local beach clean-up in 2019 as part of the International Coastline Cleanup (ICC) initiative.

Videos

Microplastic pollution from the Bay Area to the Arctic: a conversation with Shezad Dawood and Alice (Xia) Zhu, Museum of Contemporary Arts, September 23rd, 2019

Microplastic Pollution in San Francisco Bay: A Collaborative Effort involving The Moore Foundation, San Francisco Estuary Institute, 5 Gyres, and University of Toronto

Contamination, sources, and fate of microplastic pollution in San Francisco Bay: oral presentation at MICRO2020 research conference, November 23-27th, 2020

Individual Actions Against Waste: sustainability workshop hosted by Global Leadership Organization (GLO), November 7th, 2020

Interview by CTV News Toronto at Queen's Park climate rally on the role of youth in climate activism as student delegate to the Paris Climate Summit, Oct 2015