São Paulo School of Advanced Science on Microplastics 2026

Event type: Training course / advanced scientific school
Dates: September 1–11, 2026
Location: University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and CNPEM, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
Format: In person
Language: English
Registration status: Applications closed
Official website: https://microplasticschool.iqm.unicamp.br/

Event Summary

The São Paulo School of Advanced Science on Microplastics 2026, also known as the SPSAS Microplastic School or ESPCA Microplastics, is an intensive international training program covering microplastic and nanoplastic science, environmental and human-health impacts, analytical methods, and plastic-pollution policy.

Held September 1–11, 2026, at UNICAMP and the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) in Campinas, Brazil, the school will bring together graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, early-career scientists, and internationally recognized experts for lectures, practical training, poster sessions, mentoring, field activities, and interdisciplinary discussion.

About the Event

The São Paulo School of Advanced Science on Microplastics is designed to prepare early-career researchers to address plastic pollution through rigorous scientific research, critical thinking, international collaboration, and evidence-based policymaking.

The program approaches microplastics from four complementary perspectives:

• Interior: Polymer composition, additives, material properties, weathering, fragmentation, and microplastic and nanoplastic formation.
• Surface: Pollutant sorption, additive leaching, environmental interactions, biofilms, and the plastisphere.
• Exterior: Environmental occurrence, transport, exposure, ecotoxicity, bioavailability, bioaccumulation, and potential human-health effects.
• Beyond: Microplastics regulation, public policy, science diplomacy, chemical transparency, open science, and the global response to plastic pollution.

Participants will receive interdisciplinary instruction spanning environmental chemistry, polymer science, toxicology, ecology, analytical chemistry, environmental monitoring, risk assessment, and regulatory policy.

Program Topics

Major program areas include:

Microplastic Occurrence and Monitoring

Sessions will address the occurrence of microplastics in marine and freshwater environments, as well as the scientific and practical challenges associated with environmental sampling and monitoring.

Polymer Science

Participants will examine polymer fundamentals, chemicals and additives contained within plastic materials, material degradation, and the processes that influence fragmentation into microplastics and nanoplastics.

Environmental and Health Impacts

The school will explore microplastic uptake, bioavailability, bioaccumulation, depuration, biological effects, chemical interactions, environmental risk, and regulatory perspectives.

Microplastic Analysis

Analytical training and lectures will cover methods such as:

• Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR)
• Raman spectroscopy
• Pyrolysis gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (Pyr-GC-MS)
• Near-infrared spectroscopy
• Analysis of intentionally added substances and non-intentionally added substances
• Synchrotron-based analytical techniques
• Microplastic data processing and interpretation

Policy and Regulation

Policy sessions will examine international and national responses to plastic pollution, including the global plastics treaty process, regulatory strategies for microplastics in water, environmental monitoring indicators, extended producer responsibility, and evidence-based policymaking.

Featured Experts

The scientific program includes contributions from Brazilian and international experts in microplastics research, polymer science, environmental monitoring, toxicology, risk assessment, and policy. Speakers listed by the organizers include Richard Thompson, Amy Lusher, Martin Wagner, Mônica Costa, Alexander Turra, Cristina Nerín, Theodore Henry, Scott Coffin, Walter Waldman, Andreia Neves, Marcos Grassi, Cassiana Montagner, and other specialists.

Who Should Attend?

The school is intended primarily for:

• Master’s students
• Doctoral students
• Postdoctoral researchers
• Early-career scientists
• Researchers working on microplastics, nanoplastics, emerging contaminants, environmental contamination, toxicology, chemistry, biology, engineering, oceanography, public health, or related subjects

Full proficiency in English is required because all official school activities will be conducted in English.

Participant Activities

The 11-day program combines:

• Expert scientific lectures
• Theoretical and practical classes
• Hands-on analytical training
• Faculty mentoring
• Student poster presentations
• Field activities
• Scientific roundtables
• Networking and international collaboration

All selected participants are expected to attend the complete program and present their research in a poster session.

Funding

The São Paulo Research Foundation, FAPESP, is supporting the school. According to the organizers, selected eligible participants receive support for round-trip travel, accommodation, meals, local transportation during official activities, daily allowances, and travel insurance for participants traveling from outside Brazil.

Separate funding rules apply to current FAPESP fellowship recipients, who may be required to use funds associated with their existing research awards.

Registration

Applications for the 2026 São Paulo School of Advanced Science on Microplastics are closed, and the organizers have announced the selected participants.

Visit the official event website for program updates, speaker information, practical guidance, and future announcements.