‘I’m the Plastic Police’: Alum’s Mission to Clean Up Pollution in Saudi Arabia

Lila Aldakheel is using microbes to break down plastic waste and push for a cleaner future.

Lila Aldakheel, BS ‘16, is on a mission to combat plastic pollution. Her career has taken many turns, but at every stage, she’s sought opportunities to learn and contribute. Case in point? A class assignment at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) turned into an unexpected research opportunity.

“We had to choose a paper to bring to class and discuss,” Aldakheel said. “My professor told me, ‘The author of the paper you chose is across the street in Boston Children’s Hospital — would you like to meet him?’ I was like, really?”

That chance encounter led to a research internship at Boston Children’s Hospital, where Aldakheel studied genetic editing tools to find a cure for sickle cell anemia in Dr. Daniel Bauer lab.

“I have sickle cell anemia, and three of my family members passed away from it,” she said. “I really wanted to go into research to find a cure.”

Now, years later, Aldakheel is completing a PhD in her native Saudi Arabia and has shifted her interest to exploring how microbes can help degrade microplastics in the environment. Her research has earned recognition from organizations such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

During her PhD studies at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Aldakheel investigated microbes in the soil near the Red Sea. “I didn’t anticipate that I would end up studying this, but I’ve always cared about plastic pollution—in my home, I’m the plastic police,” she said. “A lot of places in Saudi Arabia don’t have bins for plastic recycling, and when I was collecting samples near the sea, I saw a lot of pollution near the mangrove plants. It’s just sad to see.”

Determined to find an environmentally friendly solution, Aldakheel began researching bacteria that produce enzymes capable of breaking down plastics. It became the topic for her PhD thesis.

“I left bacteria with plastic for almost eight months and observed the changes,” she said. “And through metagenomic analysis, we found some more species of bacteria that could be good candidates for breaking down plastic.”

Set to complete her PhD by the end of the year, Aldakheel is also teaching and mentoring students. Her work has not gone unnoticed —she was selected for the 2023, L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Middle East Program and nominated for the 2024 Boston Consulting Group V60 Awards for Sustainability Champions in the Middle East.

Looking ahead, Aldakheel said she wants to continue her work on microplastics and is mulling over the possibility of doing post-doctoral research or launching her own startup to produce the plastic-degrading enzyme at scale.

“Everything is changing in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East—we’re focusing more on sustainability,” she said. “It’s been amazing to be honored as a woman who is doing work in sustainability. It would be great to make an impact and change environmental policy in the Kingdom.”

Thinking about her accomplishments, Aldakheel acknowledges that leaving home for college was not easy. Adapting to a new country and language came with challenges, but she found support in mentors like Dr. Joe DeMasi from the School of Arts and Sciences at MCPHS.

“He always told me, Lila, you’re good enough, and you’re going to be somewhere special,” Aldakheel said. “And whenever I’m down, even now, I remember him saying that to me.”