Karla Heric (she/her)

Karla is a scientist guided by impact. As a CSIRO industry PhD candidate at Victoria University, she is exploring how microbes could break down microplastics in wastewater systems, as part of CSIRO's Ending Plastic Waste Mission. She wants to keep plastic where it is genuinely needed and responsibly manage the microplastics it leaves behind.

Beyond the lab, Karla wants to reconnect people with the natural world. She believes sustainability becomes second nature when people  practise noticing their local environment.

In the Fellowship, she wants to take her environmental science to the everyday people who drive real change.

At 15, Karla set two lifelong goals: compete at the Cheerleading World Championships and earn a PhD. She ticked off the first last year and is on track to complete her studies in 2027. You'll otherwise find her deep in a word puzzle or outdoors, chasing her daily hour of mindful sun.