My role at SAMS

As a toxic phytoplankton monitoring analyst for the Food Standards Scotland’s toxic algae monitoring programme at SAMS, I am responsible for processing and analysing seawater samples from different shellfish production sites around Scotland. These samples are analysed for various species of toxic phytoplankton and provide a warning system to allow harvesters to take the necessary precautions when the concentrations of specific phytoplankton species reach alert levels. Some phytoplankton can produce toxins that accumulate in bivalve molluscs, which leads to human illness if the shellfish are consumed. Monitoring the development of phytoplankton blooms can therefore act as an early warning system for toxic events.

I assist with the management of the operation and delivery of the regulatory monitoring programme for biotoxin-producing phytoplankton, conducted by SAMS on behalf of Food Standards Scotland. We report the concentration of potentially harmful phytoplankton from around 40 sites every week.

Qualifications

BSc (Hons) Marine Science with Marine Biology. SAMS UHI

Relevant employment history

Since 2025 Phytoplankton Monitoring Programme Deputy Manager, SAMS

2017-25 CCAP Support Scientist / ARIES Lab Manager. SAMS

Publications

Sound, J., Peters, A., Bellamy-Carter, J., Rad Menendez, C., MacKechnie, K., Green, D. and Leney, A. (2021) Rapid Cyanobacteria Species Identification with High Sensitivity Using Native Mass Spectrometry, Analytical Chemistry, 93 (42), 14293-14299, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.1c03412 

Wood EE, Ross ME, Jubeau S, Montalescot V, MacKechnie K, Marchington RE, Davey MP, McNeill S, Hamilton C, Stanley MS (2023) From green to orange: The change in biochemical composition of phototophic-mixotrophic Chromochloris zofingiensis in pilot-scale photobioreactors. Algal Research 75: 103238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.algal.2023.103238