Michael Ross

I am a phycologist with an interest in optimising cultivation practices and the development of strains to produce biomass for specific applications or products.

To date, I have cultivated algae for a variety of purposes including aquaculture feed, bioenergy, bioremediation of nutrients and heavy metals, CO₂ mitigation, and for high-value compounds.

My current research, as part of the ABACUS project, involves the development of micro-algal strains for commercially important high-value products and the implementation of a biorefinery approach.

My first contact with algae, however, was during my MSc project at the University of Stirling. I aimed to improve the broodstock performance of flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) by providing them with different micro-algal diets, specifically looking at the essential fatty acid composition.

I have worked as a support scientist on the BioMara project at SAMS. The overarching goal of BioMara was to demonstrate the feasibility and sustainably of producing algal biofuels.

I worked as an algal technician at the Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Research (CSAR), at Swansea University. I was mostly involved in micro-algal cultivation on a variety of scales; from the maintenance of master cultures to operating 3,000L photobioreactors.

My Ph.D. thesis, at the University of Edinburgh and SAMS, was entitled 'Wastewater treatment by filamentous macro-algae'. This research investigated the potential of Cladophora parriaudii to remove nutrients and heavy metals from wastewater.