Dr Gillian Mackinnon
- Lecturer in Biogeochemical Tracers (Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre)
telephone:
01355270142
email:
Gillian.MacKinnon@glasgow.ac.uk
pronouns:
She/her/hers
Suerc, Rankine Avenue, East Kilbride, G75 0qf
Research interests
- Using organic, inorganic and radionuclide species as tracers of environmental processes
- Understanding the behaviour of pollutants in the environment
- Remediation of environmental contaminants
- Environmental analytical chemistry
My research and teaching interests comfortably encompass organic, inorganic and radionuclide geochemistry, focusing on using carbon isotopes, inorganic isotopes and radioisotopes as biogeochemical tracers in the environment.
Current Research
LoRISE : Long-lived Radionuclides in the Surface Environment - Mechanistic Studies of Speciation, Environmental Transport and Transfer.
This is a NERC consortium project consisting of seven universities, the Scottish Association for Marine Science and the UK’s synchrotron, Diamond Light Source. The project will characterise biogeochemical, biological and radiological conditions at four 'natural laboratories' that contain elevated levels of these radionuclides from man-made and natural sources, spanning both onshore and offshore locations in the UK.
Understanding the persistence, transformation and fate of CIPC in commercial potato stores to help guard against cross-contamination.
This research, funded by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board – Potatoes, focuses on understanding the germination and cross contamination problems brought about by CIPC residues in potato stores. The research will have significant cross-division impact for Potatoes, Horticulture and Cereals and Oilseeds and will deliver innovative solutions with practical benefits to the AHDB and the industry as a whole.
Grants
Understanding the persistence, transformation and fate of CIPC in commercial potato stores to help guard against cross-contamination. With G Cook (SUERC) and H Duncan (University of Glasgow). AHDB-Potato Council, 115R485. £91,963, 2014-2018.
Long-lived Radionuclides in the Surface Environment - Mechanistic Studies of Speciation, Environmental Transport and Transfer, marine work package. With G Cook and S Xu. NERC, NE/L0002021/1. £479,016, 2013-2017.
Development of CIPC best practice recommendations for low-temperature box stores. With H Duncan (University of Glasgow) and A Briddon (Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research). AHDB-Potato Council, R463. £34,000, 2012-2015.
Removal of heavy metal and radiotoxic ions from aqueous solutions by biosorption. With A Kausar (University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan). HEC Pakistan. £1750, 2013.
Fate of particulate and dissolved carbon losses from peatlands. RSC Alan Tetlow Memorial Award. £1000, 2012.
Heavy metal and PAH contamination in an oil spilled brackish water system and the health risks on the people of Bodo City, Niger Delta, Nigeria. With I Vincent-Akpu (University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria), A Tyler (University of Stirling) and C Wilson (University of Stirling). Commonwealth International Research Scholarship. £1075, 2012.
Sampling and analytical techniques for determination of PAHs in river and estuarine sediments. O I Nwachukwu (Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Nigeria), A B MacKenzie (SUERC) and I D Pulford (University of Glasgow). Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), Nigeria. 2012.
Supervision
- Helen Kinch (MSc candidate, current)
14C and 129I in the Organic Carbon Reservoirs of the UK West Coast Intertidal Environment. - Leisa A Douglas (PhD, completed 2018)
Understanding the persistence, transformation and fate of CIPC (Chlorpropham) in commercial potato stores to help guard against cross-contamination. - Michael Muir (PhD candidate, current)
Role of organic matter in binding U/Ra and incorporating 14C. - Kieran Tierney (PhD candidate, current)
Long-distance transfer, speciation and food web modeling of 14C. - Kenneth Macgregor (PhD candidate, current)
Variations in potentially toxic elemental (Sb, Pb, Cu and Zn) and PAH concentrations and associations in run-off from urban and rural areas. - Wolfram Buss (PhD candidate, current)
Contaminant issues in production and application of biochar from both virgin and non-virgin feedstock. - David Blair (PhD, completed 2013)
Carbon and contaminant trace metal biogeochemistry in surficial organic-rich terrestrial systems.
Teaching
- 2009 – present
Environmental Radioactivity, BSc/MSci in Environmental Chemistry
School of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh - 2007 – 2014
Environmental Radioactivity, BSc (Hons) in Environmental Chemistry
School of Chemistry, Glasgow - 2012
Elemental and Isotope Spectrometry, BSc/MSci in Environmental Chemistry
School of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh
Additional information
Brief Biography
I have a BSc (Hons, Environmental Chemistry) and PhD (Chemistry) from the University of Glasgow. My early research spanned the topics of natural attenuation and phytoremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated soils, potential transfer into the human food chain of toxic and allergenic metals derived from vehicle exhaust emissions and the behaviour of uranium in natural systems as part of an on-going waste repository assessment. I then moved to industry to project manage a team engaged in the development and application of analytical methods for trace levels analysis of veterinary pharmaceutical residues/ agrochemical residues to support regulatory submissions. I returned to the University of Glasgow in 2007 to take up the position of lecturer in Biogeochemical Tracers at SUERC/University of Glasgow. I am a Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Professional Affiliations
Elected vice chair of the Scottish Analytical Division, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2014
Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy, 2011
Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry, 2002
External examiner
Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. 2016, PhD.Distribution, correlation, source apportionment, bioaccessibility and health risk assessments of selected metals in water, sediments, soil and fish from Mangla Lake, Pakistan.
Norwegian University of Science & Technology, Trondheim, Norway. 2014, PhD. Trace elements and their interactions with natural organic matter in water.
University of Agricultural, Faisalabad, Pakistan. 2014, PhD. Decolorisation of synthetic dyes by citrus peroxidase.
Internal examiner
PhD. Nutrient Value of Waste Material. School of Chemistry, 2015
MSc. Testing recent chronological techniques for peat sites with contrasting anthropogenic influences’. SUERC, 2012
PhD. Assessing impact of windfarm related disturbance on streamwater carbon, phosphorous and nitrogen dynamics: a case study of the Whitelee catchments. School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, 2011
PhD. Chitosans as soil amendments for the remediation of metal contaminated soil. School of Chemistry, 2011
PhD examination convenor
PhD. Improving the 14C dating of south-west Scottish wetland sites. SUERC, 2015