On 5 February 2025, Moses Ndugwa received the best poster award as part of the Faculty of Science Research Day.
Moses Ndugwa is a PhD researcher at ECOSPHERE, specializing in marine ecotoxicology. His research focuses on assessing the impacts of chemical emissions from offshore wind farms on marine life. These emissions, including heavy metals and organic pollutants, primarily originate from corrosion protection systems such as cathodic protection sacrificial anodes and antifouling paints.
As a rapidly expanding industry, offshore wind energy plays a pivotal role in the transition from fossil fuel dependency toward carbon neutrality. Currently, offshore wind capacity in European waters stands at 64.3 GW, supplying energy to over 45 million homes, with projections to reach 300 GW by 2050. However, this large-scale expansion introduces additional anthropogenic stressors to marine ecosystems. To address these concerns, Moses collaborates with researchers from ECOSPHERE, Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), and Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), employing key bioindicator species including blue mussels, marine fish larvae, Polychaetes, and amphipods to investigate the ecological effects of potential chemical emissions. His work aims to support the sustainable development of offshore wind farms while ensuring the health of marine ecosystems and the safety of seafood for human consumption.