Profile
Stuart McMillan
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About Me:
I live with my wife and daughter in Edinburgh. I’m a researcher in fish nutrition and former chef. I’m a keen hill runner, cook, film buff and fish keeper, meaning a lot of my spare time is spent on a busman’s holiday!
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I’ve been lucky enough to have many adventures during my early career as chef. This included several trips to the Antarctic, and set me on a path into higher education and scientific research. My love of food and the environment still heavily influences my present work as myself and colleagues aim to increase sustainability of farmed fish and the ingredients used to feed them! I have always loved travelling and experiencing many new things and believe these escapades are equally as important to a formal education to shape who we are what we do in life!
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My pronouns are:
he/him
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My Work:
I’m a research scientist, although I suppose you could say my disciplines are microbiology and nutrition. Currently I work mainly with farmed salmon nutrition and investigating what happens when we add more sustainable ingredients to their feed and what we can do with fish to encourage them to eat and grow more efficiently.
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My Typical Day:
I’m on my bike train station bound at 06.00 and commute to Stirling. I plan my commute around little jobs I can do on my laptop on the train. When I get into work I do some stretching (I’m getting old and some bits don’t work as well a they used to!) and plan the rest of my day. I don’t really have a daily work routine. In general, my workload revolves around experiments in the aquarium and follows a cycle in phases. When were in a particular phase of the cycle all my time may be taken up with that. This will start with planning then move onto the experiment itself before organising and completing sampling. Then, we’ll be analysing our samples in the lab or on the computer before reporting this to a wider audience. I sometimes go for a run up Dumyat, our local hill, before getting back on the train to see my daughter in time for her bedtime.
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While you may think I spend all day in the lab or aquarium doing cool science stuff, I spend quite a lot of time writing and reviewing animal ethics applications. I am on a panel at the university which makes sure that any experiments we do involving animals do not involve any unnecessary harm and are legal, and beneficial for science and society at large. I also supervise student projects, which I really enjoy, and deliver a few lectures every year.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
Invest it in my institute’s outreach activities to increase our activities with local schools and investigate opportunities further afield.
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Education:
I went to school in Melton Mowbray, in the English midlands.
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Qualifications:
GCSES = 6
NO A LEVELS!
BTEC Diploma i n Hotel and Catering
Honours Degree In Applied Marine Biology
Ph D in Microbiology
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Work History:
I worked as a chef for 15 years all over the world!
This experience proved VERY VALUABLE to re-enter education as I didn’t need any further education qualifications to start at university.
The highlight of my cooking career was working in the Antarctic. I have travelled there 7 times in total, including a stay of a whole year over winter. It was dark for months on end and a little chilly! But the wildlife is incredible!
After cheffing and before I became a researcher, I worked for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency monitoring various things, including seawater (for my actual job) and the quality of fish and chips (for lunch) at the various sampling points.
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Current Job:
I’m a research scientist, although I suppose you could say my disciplines are microbiology and nutrition. Currently I work mainly with farmed salmon nutrition and investigating what happens when we add more sustainable ingredients to their feed and what we can do with fish to encourage them to eat and grow more efficiently.
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Employer:
University of Stirling
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Food loving Beaker
What did you want to be after you left school?
Chef
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Yes, on occasion!
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
Adventure project management
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Orbital (still going strong!)
What's your favourite food?
Clams
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
1. Another day in the week!; 2. See Kate Bush live; 3. Be a better skier, rather than the currently terrible one.
Tell us a joke.
How did the hammerhead do on his final exam? He nailed it!
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