Profile

Since moving to Scotland, I have had to accept that its too cold outside to be an outdoorsy person anymore. To keep busy, I have started aerial arts (anything you see in a circus that floats: hooks, silks, ropes, etc.). Although it can be a bit painful at times, it has been really cool to figure out new tricks and skills.

I also love teaching my dog new tricks! Although I am a vegetarian, I have started taking fun gundog training classes with him. He comes from working parents, so I know that he has a strong hunting drive. Taking these classes with him has allowed me to learn more about how he thinks and what goes through his head when we are out and about. It is so cute to see how tired and happy he is after a good training session. I also tell myself that it has made him more relaxed in general, because he is now allowed to do all the things he was bred for (chasing after dummies I throw, bringing them back to me, and crashing through the forest!). Don’t worry no real hunting is going on here!

As a marine biologist, you can focus on many different topics. Some discover new species, others look at how waves form, and again others look at how much fish we can catch before we have a bad impact on the population…

I do none of that! I look at all the chemicals and substances we humans put into the water and how that affects the life of different animals. This allows me to understand what kind of substances (and how much of them) animals are surrounded by, and to look at how much the take up into their body over time. My work right now focuses on heavy metals like mercury, as it comes from so many sources and can have strong effects on brain development and behaviour.

The Scottish Marine Animal Strand Scheme (SMASS) jumps to action when someone reports a dead marine mammal on the beach in Scotland (or the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP) in the rest of the UK). I am one of the volunteers that then go out to actually collect the body and bring it back with me to hand over the the SMASS team. They then do an autopsy (taking a peak into the inside of the animals to understand why it died) and also take samples for scientists like me!

This allows me to understand whether marine mammals are at risk of being poisoned by these substances, and means that we can then suggest new policies or pay more attention to keeping a closer eye on the animals!

If you come across a stranded animal that is still alive, please do not touch it or try to help it in any way. The animal might be scared and could try and defend itself, and even if it does not, they can carry many bacteria and diseases that don’t harm them but can be dangerous for us humans. Instead, please contact (or ask an adult to contact) one of the following organisations:

The RSPCA (0300 1234999) or the British Diver Marine Life Rescue (01825 765546) if you are in England or Wales, and the SSPCA (0131 3390111) if you are in Scotland.

Since its up to me, what I work on, I get to plan my own day! For example, I might be marking work by students in the morning, then have a meeting about a new project after lunch, and end my day with a bit of lab work! So what do I usually do? Here are some examples:

👩‍🔬 Lab work to analyse marine mammal chemical concentrations;

💻 Modelling how chemicals behave in different marine food webs;

📄 Writing reports and articles about my results and what that means for society;

📚 Giving lectures or supervising students learning new lab skills;

📄 Writing applications to get more money for my research;

🎤 Answering questions by students who want to know what being a scientist is like.