Dr. Anja Brandon is an environmental engineer and policy expert specializing in plastics pollution and waste management. As the Director of Plastics Policy at Ocean Conservancy, Anja leads a team working to eliminate plastic pollution at the state, federal, and international level. Anja has been instrumental in drafting landmark state and national legislation regulating plastic pollution, including as part of the team of environmental advocates that helped draft and pass the strongest plastics legislation in the country, SB 54 in California. Prior to joining Ocean Conservancy, Anja was the AGU/AAAS Congressional Science Fellow in the office of U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), where she was the lead policy advisor on issues including plastics, waste management, and ocean conservation. She earned her Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering and Science from Stanford University, where she was awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship for developing innovative approaches to plastic waste management.
