Current Group

Laia Castaño
Final Year PhD Student

2017 - 2020 PhD Student
(University of Strathclyde / National Centre of Excellence in Mass Spectrometry Imaging, National Physical Laboratory, London)
Laia joined the Duncan lab in October 2017 as a PhD student at University of Strathclyde looking at the "chemical warfare of actinomycetes as keystone bacterial species for accelerated antibiotic discovery”. Laia is a native of Spain and graduated in 2017 with a B.Sc (hons) in Human Biology, specialising in Microbiology, at Edge Hill University. She is interested in natural products and the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance. 
Twitter: @Laia_Castano

Alison Hughes
Final Year PhD Student

2017 - 2021 PhD Student
(​Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre/ University of Strathclyde / Xanthella, Oban)
Ally joined the Duncan lab in October 2017 as an IbioIC / University of Strathclyde PhD student looking at the biotechnological potential of microalgal natural products (spending one year at Xanthella in Oban). Ally graduated in 2015 with a B.Sc (hons) from the National University of Ireland, Galway specialising in Chemistry. Following this, she worked as a research and teaching assistant at the University of South Florida with Prof. Bill J. Baker in the field of marine natural products chemistry.
Twitter: @fabhlach3592

Jonathan Parra Villalobos
3rd Year PhD Student

2018-2021 PhD student​
​(Government of Costa Rica International PhD fellowship & University of Costa Rica scholarship)
Jonathan studied a Pharmacy Degree and a Masters Degree in Chemistry at the University of Costa Rica in the area of rainforest plant natural products chemistry. Jonathan joined the lab in July 2018 and will expand his knowledge of microbiology and microbial natural products using 'omics approaches.
Twitter: @JonathanParraV

Lily Riordan
​2nd Year PhD Student

  2019-2022 PhD Student
(Strathclyde Doctoral School Centre of Doctoral Training on Developing Technology to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance)
Lily joined the Duncan group as a PhD student in October 2019. Lily graduated in 2016 with a BSc Biochemistry (Hons) from Aberystwyth University, before moving on to study a MSc in Microbiology and Infection at the University of Birmingham. She then stayed at UoB as a research assistant, looking at novel technologies to combat the antimicrobial resistance problem.
Twitter: @lily_riordan

Darren Scobie
2nd Year PhD Student

2019-2022 PhD Student
(University of Strathclyde, Research Excellence Award)
Darren joined the Duncan group as a PhD student in October 2019. Darren finished his BSc in Microbiology at the University of Strathclyde in 2019. He previously completed his undergraduate dissertation (2019) and a Microbiology Society Harry Smith Vacation Studentship (2018) in the Duncan group in rare actinomycete natural products.
Twitter: @darrenscobie

Connie McFadden
2020-2021 MRes Student
2020-2021 MRes Student
(Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
Connie joined the Duncan group in October 2020 as an MRes Biochemistry and Molecular Biology student after completing an undergraduate degree in Forensic Investigation at Glasgow Caledonian University.
Ellen Chow
4th Year Undergraduate Student
Kirsten Morris
4th Year Undergraduate Student
2020-2021 BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science Student
Coner McCubbin
4th Year Undergraduate Student
Grace Nisbet
4th Year Undergraduate Student
2020-2021 BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science Student
Eve Hamilton
4th Year Undergraduate Student

Alumni 

Dr Natalie Millan
Visiting Fellow

2016-2017 Marine Alliance of Science and Technology (MASTS) Visiting Research Fellow.
Natalie joined the Duncan lab for two visits:
​December 2016- January 2017 & June 2017 - August 2017. 
Following the completion of her PhD in Paul Jensen's lab (Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD) in 2016 Natalie started at the Autonomous University of Baja California as an Assistant Professor. Her research is on marine microbiology, phylogenomics and marine natural products.
​T​witter: @natmillan13

Dr Alejandro Huerta-Uribe
PostDoctoral Research Associate

2018 Post Doctoral Research Associate
​(BBSRC Tools and Resources Development Fund (TRDF))
Alejandro joined the Duncan lab in November 2018 as a postdoctoral research associate on a BBSRC tools and research development grant. Alejandro obtained his B.Sc in Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry at the Michoacan University of Saint Nicholas of Hidalgo, Mexico. He then joined the Wellcome Trust 4-year PhD programme at the University of Glasgow, where he worked under the supervision of Prof. Andrew Roe exploring antivirulence based strategies to prevent Shiga toxin expression in enterohaemorrhagic E. coli. Alejandro now works as a research associate at the University of Glasgow Cancer Institute.
​Twitter: ‪@alex_hu_

Cailin Donaldson
Masters Student (MSc)

2018 MSc Biomedical Science

Florent Magot
Masters Student (ERASMUS)

2018 Masters Student
ERASMUS placement
Florent joined the Duncan lab in January 2018, for a 6-month research placement during his Masters degree (2nd year) in Analytical Chemistry and Instrumentation at the University of Paul Sabatier in Toulouse. Last year he performed a three-month internship at the Marine Biodiscovery Centre in the University of Aberdeen, where he grew interested in natural products. In October Florent started his PhD in the area of natural products chemistry in Kiel, Germany.
Twitter: @FlorentMargot
Shahad Saem
Masters Student (MSc)
2020 MSc Molecular Microbiology
Shahad joined the Duncan group as a Molecular Microbiology master student at University of Strathclyde in June 2020. Shahad finished her Bachelor degree in Microbiology at the King Abdulaziz University in 2017. Her research is on marine microalgae for bioactive compounds.
Robyn Braes
Undergraduate (4th year dissertation)
2019-2020 BSc Microbiology Student
Twitter: @RobynBraes
Calum McVickar
Undergraduate (4th year dissertation)
BSc. Microbiology
2018-2019 4th Year Undergraduate Student
​

Brandon Houghton
Undergraduate (4th year dissertation)

2017-2018: 4th year Microbiology and Biochemistry dissertation
In September 2018 Brandon started a PhD in natural products at University of East Anglia (UEA) / the John Innes Centre

Dr Sylvia Soldatou
Postdoctoral Researcher

2017 - 2018 PDRA
​(The Carnegie Trust funded)
Sylvia joined the Duncan lab in October as a postdoctoral research associate (PDRA) on a Carnegie Trust Collaborative Research Grant funded project with the University of Glasgow. Sylvia has a B.Sc in Chemistry (University of Patras, Greece), a M.Sc. in Pharmacognosy (UCL, London) and a Ph.D. in Chemistry (National University of Ireland, Galway) under the supervision of Prof. Bill Baker. A year of her Ph.D was spent as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of South Florida, USA. Sylvia joined the Marine Biodiscovery Centre in June 2018 as a Postdoctoral Researcher under the supervision of Dr Rainer Ebel.
Twitter: @SylviaSoldatou
Diana Githwe
MSci Student

Diana joined the Duncan group as an MSci Microbiology student in October 2019. Diana finished her BSc in Biochemistry and Microbiology at the University of Strathclyde in May 2019. During this time, she undertook her an Enterprise project for her Honours dissertation, blending her scientific knowledge with the commercial aspects of a biotech company to produce a market analysis report of a new technology in healthcare. Diana has now successfully completed her degree and will be joining Dr Lis Lowe's group at Newcastle University to commence her PhD. Diana will be researching the role of hybrid two component systems in Bacteroides in the degradation of sugar in the human gut.​
Twitter: @dianagithwe

Salma Aljaroodi
Masters Student (MSc)

2018 MSc Biomedical Science

 Jordan Twigg
Masters Student (MRes)

2016-2017 MRes student
Prior to starting in the Duncan lab Jordan completed a BSc in Microbiology at Glasgow Caledonian University. Jordan started a fully funded PhD at the University of Glasgow in October 2017 in the area of marine natural products and is writing up his MRes thesis.
Aimee Brown
Undergraduate (4th year dissertation)
2019-2020 BSc Microbiology and Immunology
Hannah Rankin
Undergraduate (4th year dissertation)
BSc. Microbiology & Biochemistry
2018-2019 4th Year Undergraduate Student
Twitter: @hannah_rankin_

Heather Perrie
Undergraduate (4th year dissertation)

2017-2018: 4th year Microbiology and Immunology dissertation
Heather will now go on to postgraduate education (following a summer internship at Glasgow University)

Jack Wilkins
Summer Intern

2019 Summer Intern (Marine Natural Products)
Jack joined the Duncan group in July for three weeks as a summer intern learning about marine natural products. Jack is currently studying at Queen Mary University of London completing a bachelors degree in chemistry and will start his year abroad in Japan (pre-final year) this Autumn.

Sergio Serrano
MSc Student (dissertation)

2017 IBioIC MSc Industrial Biotechnology student
Sergio completed his industrial laboratory research placement on algal biotechnology, Sergio now works in the biotech industry in Scotland.

Kimberley Hamilton
Undergraduate (4th year dissertation)

2016-2017: 4th year Microbiology and Biochemistry dissertation
Kim started a fully funded PhD at the University of Glasgow in October 2017 in the area of microbiology.
Twitter: @Bunnahabhain86

Suzanne Purdon
(Scottish Association for Marine Science)

 2015-2016: 4th Year BSc Marine Science dissertation "Secondary metabolites from bacteria associated with Scottish marine invertebrates".
​Suzanne started a MSc in Environmental Management with Conservation at the University of Stirling (Sept. 2017) and was awarded a Scottish Funding Council Masters Scholarship

Thomas Hender
Summer Intern

2017 Summer Intern (Microbiology)
Tom joined the Duncan lab for an internship in summer 2017, between his third & fourth year of study. Tom is now a postgraduate student in dentistry in Wales.

Amy Russell
Undergraduate (4th year dissertation)

2016-2017: 4th Year Biomedical Science dissertation

Holger H. Buchholz
(Scottish Association for Marine Science)

2014-2016: 2nd & 3rd year BSc Marine Science with Arctic Studies undergraduate lab volunteer
Holger's dissertation literature review was published as a first author paper. In 2017 he started a PhD on "Ocean Viruses in SAR11" at the University of Exeter

Dr Kevin Purves
(Scottish Association for Marine Science)

2014-2015: 4th Year BSc Marine Science dissertation
"Using Molecular Networking for Microbial Secondary Metabolite Bioprospecting". This resulted in a first author publication: ​http://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/6/1/2.
Kevin is currently a 3rd year PhD Student (2015-2018) at Plymouth Marine Lab (PML) as part of the ENV EAST Doctoral Training Program (DTP), his research is on "Investigating the role of viruses in methanol production in the ocean"
Twitter: @KevPurves
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