Profile
Andrew Turner
My CV
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Education:
Hagley First and Middle School, Worcs
Sawston Village College, Cambridge
Hills Roads Sixth Form College, Cambridge
University of Bristol -
Qualifications:
10 O-levels (yes I’m old…)
3 A-levels (Maths, Physics and Chemistry)
BSc(Hons) chemistry degree
MSc (comm) analytical chemistry degree
PhD organic geochemistry and palaeoceanography -
Work History:
1. TES Bretby, Burton on Trent – Environmental analysis using GC-MS
2. Harwell Scientifics, Oxford – Air analysis for volatile pollutants
3. Tripos Discovery Research, Cornwall – drug discovery, durg purification -
Current Job:
Cefas, Weymouth – Principal Chemist in the Food Safety Group
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About Me:
Hi – I’m Andy, and am lucky enough to live and work by the sea in Dorset. I work as an aquatic scientist, using analytical chemistry to detect harmful toxins which threaten human, animal and ecosystem health.
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I live in Weymouth, Dorset, just 3 min walk from the sea. It is a great place to live, as it is surrounded by beautiful countryside, and of course by the sea. As a family we enjoy getting out and about, including walking, cycling, swimming and paddleboarding. I’m music mad, playing the bass guitar and listening to all sorts of music. I have lived in many different places, more than 10, but now Weymouth feels like my home.
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I trained as an organic analytical chemist, which is a profession where scientists use modern instruments such as chromatographs and mass spectrometers to analyse samples for organic chemicals. In the past I used my techniques to work with environmental samples (air, soil and water), food, drugs (pharmaceuticals) and pollutants. As an analytical chemist you can use your instruments for so many different needs, so I have worked in forensics, drug discovery, oceanography, palaeo-chemistry, environmental risk assessment and food safety.
Since 2007 I have worked at Cefas (Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) in Dorset. This is a fantastic job as I get to do all sorts of different things in the field of aquatic science, and no two days are the same. One important thing our team does, is to analyse shellfish from around the whole country, to see if harmful natural toxins are present at levels which are unsafe for people who eat shellfish. There are three main classes of marine toxins – ASP (Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning), PSP (Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning) and LT (lipophilic toxins), each of which affect humans and animals in different ways. By running our analyses every day, we help protect people who eat shellfish, as well as the shellfish production industry. When I started at Cefas, PSP and LT testing was carried out around the world using mice, which is obviously not very nice for the mice. One of my first jobs was to test and start using a non-animal testing method, using HPLC. This resulted in the UK being one of the first countries to move away from animal testing for shellfish food safety.
As well as running food safety testing and protecting human health, we also conduct research. A lot of this involves developing new methods of analysis to improve the work that we do. I have led programmes of work assessing risks from emerging toxins (due to climate change and other factors), for example finding for the first time the pufferfish poisoning toxin “Tetrodotoxin” in British shellfish. We also investigate unusual incidents such as the deaths of dogs on beaches who have eaten washed-up marine organisms, findings of unusual toxic worms in England originating from Japan, and the assessment of toxicity in other less common marine species. Currently I am looking at fish toxins from the Caribbean, PSP toxins in starfish, shellfish toxins from Argentina and many other interesting things.
There are many great aspects about being an environmental scientist. These include (until recently) travelling the world to attend meetings and conferences, meeting lots of different people from many different countries, and making friends wherever I go. I really enjoy collaborating with scientists from other countries, as we share work and write scientific papers together. Countries I have worked in and collaborated with include New Zealand, Chile, Mexico, Argentina, Ireland, Spain, Philipinnes, Australia and most countries in Europe.
Another great part of my job is working with younger staff members who are developing themselves in the field, and helping them to write papers, deliver scientific work, and to develop themselves. This is certainly one of the most rewarding aspsects of my job. Our team is a fantasitc group of people, all of whom are dedicated to help improve the health of our planet, through conducting marine science.
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My Typical Day:
I do not have a typical day, but it can include – talking to scientists about their work, running instruments to detect toxins, writing scientific papers, talking in meetings to try and make our work better, and planning for future projects.
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- Setting up and running analytical chemistry instruments such as HPLC, FLD, UV and mass spectrometers
- Fixing or maintaining the same instruments when they break!
- Preparing samples for analysis
- Assessing the data that comes out of the instruments
- Reporting data to the customers and helping describe its impact or risk
- Writing scientific reports and papers for publication in scientific journals
- Helping others to write their reports and papers
- Lots of discussion with colleagues about their work, their targets and the outcomes from their data
- Looking at problems with projects, facilities, instruments and deciding how to improve the situation
- Assessing future needs – both for people and for facilities
- Presenting scientific findings to both a scientific and non-scientific audience
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Dedicated, lateral-thinking, hard-working
What did you want to be after you left school?
A musician, but once I failed at that, analytical chemistry had to do!
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Quite possibly...
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Beatles and Red Hot Chili Peppers
What's your favourite food?
Chinese food
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
Health and happiness for all my family, a new bike that made cycling up hills easy and a third tap on my kitchen sink that decants beer
Tell us a joke.
What's round and orange?
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