I am looking into how microplastics and a changing environment could impact the lipid metabolism of benthic copepods. I’m reading widely to map out what researchers have already figured out and where important questions are still open. At the same time, I am exploring different experimental approaches to test how climate change and epiplastic microhabitats influence their energy balance and general health. This stage has the purpose of finding my direction and building a strong PhD plan for the following years.