Profile

I am a disabled queer researcher living on the West Coast of Scotland to conduct algal research as part of a Masters qualification. While these aspects do not make up my entire personality, they shape my day-to-day experiences and make me, me! I am autistic, which means I interact with social environments and interactions differently to other people. I also use mobility aids such as crutches, a wheelchair, and even a duck cane – who I have named Hunky Stanley!

My main passion outside of research is cosplay and crafting. Cosplay is the art of portraying characters from media in real life, and is usually done at comic conventions. I make my own costumes, usually sewing and embroidering them. My most recent cosplay of the Pokemon Mismagius took nearly a year to complete and won a craftsmanship award in competition! I have taught myself to knit, crochet, sew, embroider, weave basic lace, and to bead in multiple different ways. The way I see it, the more craft techniques I can learn the more Pokemon I can bring to life! I am a bit of a nerd.

I’m also a tabletop roleplayer – this means I play games like Dungeons and Dragons a lot! I’m used to rolling for initiative, and love telling stories with friends in a variety of game systems. My favourite is Scion 2e – a setting where all gods are real, all myths are true, all legends really happened, and heroes of old all do exist.

I am working with a group of green seaweeds called Ulva, which are known to form large mats on the surface of the water. These seaweeds are called “opportunistic”, meaning they can grow in lots of different conditions and will take the chance to do so anywhere they can! When these large green mats form, they prevent sunlight from reaching the area below them – and over time, there is not enough oxygen for the creatures that live in that area to survive. By learning about what different nutrients these seaweeds have a preference for, my research will help to understand the formation of these mats better, develop methods for preventing them, and could even aid in finding uses for these seaweeds in industries such as fish farming. In particular, my research looks at nitrogen preferences.

I wake up and get myself ready for the day in my flat (usually trying to find the brightest outfit I can). I make it to work for half 8 in the morning and check emails before looking at scientific papers to learn more about my wider topic. I analyse data using the computer and do some maths to understand the data better. Lunch is at half 12, which I have with my friends in the canteen. In the afternoon, I head to the lab to work on experiments, typically this involves checking my seaweed cultures and making sure I have the stock solutions I need to make their food and keep them alive (and I make more of these if I’m running out). I try to head out by about 5pm, but some days I finish earlier and some days I finish later. It can be a fairly flexible work schedule!