Elaine Mitchell

Telephone: 01631 559248
E-mail: elaine.mitchell@sams.ac.uk

Job Title:  Microbiology Support Scientist

I am a support scientist working within the Molecular and Microbial Biology Department. I provide technical support, assist staff and students in various tasks as well analyzing samples and providing data sets. I am lab manager for several areas which involves many small tasks to enable efficient running of the laboratories.

The major part of my job is supporting the MMB group by using a variety of methods and techniques to analyze various samples. I also provide assistance with fieldwork studies, laboratory experiments, teaching practicals and spend a proportion of my time involved with communicating science to the public. The other half of my job is that of lab manager which involves a number of jobs from general maintenance of the labs and equipment to the largest part which is that of Health and Safety.

Scientific interests

• Taxonomy of Phytoplankton ( including cilliates)
• Taxonomy of Zooplankton
• Study of Choanoflagellates
• Bacterial and phytoplankton populations and interactons
• Molecular FISH probes
  
  
  Current projects
• Oceans 2025
• Compass
• ALBA
• FINAL
• Assist with FSA taxonomy of toxic algal species
  
  
  Teaching / supervising activities
• Undergraduates:

I assist in a number of practicals with the students, both fieldwork and laboratory based. I help with the first years sampling practical where they are shown how we collect water and net samples from a boat. With the third years i assist in a series of practicals on microbiology, from sample processing & taxonomy to feeding experiments. Finally with the fourth years i help with the carbon analysis practical.

• Postgraduates:

I have been a support scientist to three Phd students so far, Johanna Fehling, Romain Pete and Christian Lonburg. With the postgraduates i am there to support and help them with a variety of tasks, including general guidance with purchasing materials, good lab practices (including Health and Safety) and i help with sampling and the processing of these samples (both field and Laboratory based work). I am on hand to teach them any techniqes which i use, and show them how to use microscopes and run equipment such as the flow cytometer. I am also on hand to help with any Phytoplankton taxonomy


Publications

R.J.G Leakey, B.S.C Leadbeater, Elaine Mitchell, Sharon M.M McCready and Alistair W.A Murray (2002) ‘The abundance and biomass of choanoflagellates and other nanoflagellates in waters of contrasting temperature to the north-west of South Georgia in the Southern Ocean.’ Europ.J. Protistol. 38, 333-350.

K.Davidson, E.C.Roberts, A.M.Wilson, E.Mitchell (2005) ‘The role of prey nutritional status in governing protozoan nitrogen regeneration efficiency.’

Educational and career history

  2002 - Present       Microbiology support scientist                        SAMS