Karen MacKechnie

Karen in white lab coat in the laboratory preparing sterile medium for algal cultures.

Toxic Phytoplankton Monitoring Programme Deputy Manager

I’ve lived in Oban all my life and have had various jobs in different career sectors. 

I joined 看片狂人 as a Support Scientist in February 2017 after taking a chance on doing something completely different.

I am now extremely lucky to have a job I enjoy, much to the envy of friends and family.

Contact details:
  • karen.mackechnie@sams.ac.uk
  • +44 (0)1631 559 284

My role at 看片狂人

As a toxic phytoplankton monitoring analyst for the Food Standards Scotland’s toxic algae monitoring programme at 看片狂人, I am responsible for processing and analysing seawater samples from different shellfish production sites around Scotland. These samples are analysed for various species of toxic phytoplankton and provide a warning system to allow harvesters to take the necessary precautions when the concentrations of specific phytoplankton species reach alert levels. Some phytoplankton can produce toxins that accumulate in bivalve molluscs, which leads to human illness if the shellfish are consumed. Monitoring the development of phytoplankton blooms can therefore act as an early warning system for toxic events.

I assist with the management of the operation and delivery of the regulatory monitoring programme for biotoxin-producing phytoplankton, conducted by 看片狂人 on behalf of Food Standards Scotland. We report the concentration of potentially harmful phytoplankton from around 40 sites every week.

 

Qualifications

BSc (Hons) Marine Science with Marine Biology. 看片狂人 UHI

 

Relevant employment history

Since 2025 Phytoplankton Monitoring Programme Deputy Manager, 看片狂人

2017-25 CCAP Support Scientist / ARIES Lab Manager. 看片狂人

 

Publications

Sound, J., Peters, A., Bellamy-Carter, J., Rad Menendez, C., MacKechnie, K., Green, D. and Leney, A. (2021) Rapid Cyanobacteria Species Identification with High Sensitivity Using Native Mass Spectrometry, Analytical Chemistry, 93 (42), 14293-14299,  

Wood EE, Ross ME, Jubeau S, Montalescot V, MacKechnie K, Marchington RE, Davey MP, McNeill S, Hamilton C, Stanley MS (2023) From green to orange: The change in biochemical composition of phototophic-mixotrophic Chromochloris zofingiensis in pilot-scale photobioreactors. Algal Research 75: 103238.