Profile

I’m originally from Dublin in Ireland but I live in Dundee, Scotland with my wife and our two snakes. In my day job I study plants but in my spare time I transform into an amateur marine biologist and entomologist. I work with a few different marine conservation charities and do some fun activities like going on whale watching expeditions, rescuing beached dolphins and mapping out how whale sharks move about in the ocean. I’m a keen scuba and free diver and would transform into a mere-man should that ever become an option.

On land I keep an eye out for mushrooms and insects that I can identify and photograph. I’m a big fan of bumble bees and before lockdown had been working on a project with the Scottish Wildlife Trust to categorise all the bee species that visited one of their reserves.

When the Scottish weather keeps me indoors I write science articles for the public and each a lot of chocolate.

Certain bacteria can be used to encourage plants to grow faster and more bigger. We can use these bacteria instead of fertilisers and pesticides to grow more food without harming the environment.

We don’t really know how these bacteria do what they do and that’s where I come in! I grow plants in transparent soil so that I can take a look at their roots. I use high powered microscopes to look at what happens when a living root meets a new type of bacteria. Then I use computer modelling to predict how well the bacteria will be able to get established on the root.

In the long run my aim is to develop a computer program that other plant scientists can use when they’re testing out new strains of bacteria to see if they’re beneficial. It will let them predict how well their strains will be able to colonise a plant and save everyone a lot of time!

Early Morning (09.00-10.00) – Planting new lettuce, plating out new bacterial strains and mixing new types of bacterial growth media.

Mid-Morning (10.00-12.00) – I get set up on the microscope. I use a type of microscope called a “confocal”. It uses lasers to activate different chemicals and make them glow then takes a picture of the resulting light. I spend a few hour imaging then save the pictures.

Lunch (12.00 – 12.45) – I head to the canteen to chat with friends before a quick walk. My research institute is based on a farm so there’s always plenty of wildlife to keep an eye out for!

Early Afternoon (12.45 – 14.00) – I process the images I took – I use machine learning and fancy programs to count the number of bacteria in different positions on the root.

Mid Afternoon (14.00 – 16.00) – I use the new data from my images  to tweak my computer model of root colonisation. To the casual observer I’m just sitting at my computer but I’m actually having amazing fun!

Late Afternoon (16.00 – 17.00) – Meeting with the lab group, we chat about what we’re up to and what problems we’re having. Normally someone will present their latest results and we’ll all help each other with any planning that needs doing.

Early Evening (17.00) – I head home! Time for dinner and maybe to do some writing in the evening.