Professor Rotchell's research focuses on the biological effects of environmental contaminants at the molecular level, known as molecular ecotoxicology.
Recent interests have focused on microplastic analyses in different samples, including water and mussels from the environment and supermarket shelves, to microplastics in different types of foodstuffs/beverages, to microplastics in the air within people's homes as well as outdoors, and also in human tissue samples.
Currently funded projects include cancer in fish, endocrine disruption in bivalves, inland waterways sediment characterisation of EU Watch List chemicals, and pharmaceuticals in the Humber Estuary.