The objective of the Visiting Fellowship Scheme is to stimulate and enhance MASTS-related research, by inviting non-UK Scientists to spend up to a maximum of six months at one (or more) MASTS institutions. Fellows can be at any stage in their careers, so both enterprising young postdoctoral researchers as well as established scientific leaders are welcome to apply. Proposals should originate in MASTS partner institutions, and multi-partner supported proposals are encouraged.
“Sources, Subsidies and Sinks: Blue Carbon in Coastal Environments” awarded to Prof. William Austin (St Andrews University). Visiting Fellow Professor Thomas Bianchi (University of Florida). Visiting in July 2017 for 1 month.
“Sink or swim: drivers of copepod migration behaviour” awarded to Dr Kim Last (SAMS). Visiting Fellow Dr Jonathan Cohen (University of Delaware). Visiting July 2017 for 6 months. Download final report.
“Improving and developing access to the last great frontier – the deep sea” awarded to Prof Murray Roberts (Heriot Watt). Visiting Fellow Prof Steve Ross (University of North Carolina). Download final report.
“Black corals (Antipatharia) from the continental slope and adjacent seamounts of the NE Atlantic and SW Indian Oceans” awarded to Dr Bhavani Narayanaswamy (SAMS). Visiting Fellow Dr Tina Molodtsova (P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology RAS). Download final report.
“Design of a low drag universal frame for subsea data acquisition in high energy tidal sites” awarded to Dr Arne Vogler (Lews Castle College, UHI). Visiting Fellow Dr Giuseppe Calise (Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II). 19/9/16 for 6 months. Download final report
“Assessing the biotechnological potential of Antarctic and sub Arctic sediment cores – a new resource for sustainable antibiotic drug discovery” awarded to Dr Katherine Duncan (University of Strathclyde). Visiting Fellow Dr Natalie Millan-Aguinaga (Universidad Autónoma de Baja California). Two visits: 05/12/2016-20/01/2017 and 05/06/2017-11/08/2017. Download final report.
“Building the first theroretical and experimental database for diatom short-term responses to changes in nutrient availability” awarded to Dr Juan Bonachela (Strathclyde University). Visiting Fellow Carlos Caceres Perez. 1/2/16 for 6 months. Download final report
“Identifying the source of skeletal carbon for tropical reef building corals” awarded to Dr Nicola Allison (St Andrews University). Visiting Fellow Jonathan Erez. 29/2/16 for 4 weeks. Download final report.
“Help for the Kelp: Improving kelp-fitness using its fungal microbiome” awarded to Dr Claire Gachon (SAMS). Visiting Fellow Soizic Prado. 5/1/16 – 29/7/16. Download final report.
“Investigation to maximise spore release and settlement success for Palmaria palmata” awarded to Dr Adam Hughes (SAMS). 24/7/15 – 23/10/15. Visiting Fellow: Craig Sanderson. Download final report.
“The role of cost-benefit analysis in coastal and marine decision-making and governance: gaps, challenges and future needs” awarded to Prof Nick Hanley (St Andrews). 1/9/15 – 31/1/16. Visitng Fellow: Dr Catalina M. Torres Figuerola (Universitat de les Illes Balears). Download Executive Summary and Final Report. View the published paper – “Communicating research on the economic valuation of coastal and marine ecosystem services.
“Biosynthesis of polyunsaturated fatty acids in polychaetes” awarded to Dr Oscar Monroig (Stirling). 9/8/15 – 8/2/16. Visiting Fellow: Dr Naoki Kabeya (Tokyo Japan University of Science & Technology) Download final report
Application of a scanning ion-sensitive microprobe to investigate the contribution made to homeostatic Ca2+ regulation by sea trout scales awarded to Dr Chevonne Angus (UHI). April – September 2015. Visiting Fellow: Dr Andrew Miller, University of Hong Kong. Download Trout & Salmon article on Andrew’s work in Shetland. Access this 2021 publication “Identification of Environmental Factors that Influence the Upstream Migration of Sea Trout Salmo trutta in Shetland Waters” here
Ecotoxicogenomics: Validation of a quantitative PCR macroarray for use as a biomarker of exposure to pollutants in Flounder awarded to Dr Craig Robinson (MSS) and Dr Micheal Leaver (Stirling). Two visits: October-Nov 2014 and Feb-March 2015. Visiting Fellow: Dr Michele Giltrap, Trinity College Dublin. Download final report.
COREE – The palaeooceanographic potential of rare earth element incorporation in coral Aragonite awarded to Dr Kirsty Crockett (SAMS). May-June 2014. Visiting Fellow: Dr Edmund Hawthorne, GEOMAR. Download final report.
Improving the classification of key marine microorganisms for biogeography and ecophysiology studies awarded to Dr Tony Guttierrez (Heriot Watt). July-August 2014. Visiting Fellow: Dr David Berry, University of Vienna. Download final report
Interaction between growth and stress signalling pathways in skeletal muscle of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) awarded to Dr Dan MacQueen of Aberdeen University & Prof Ian Johnston of St Andrews University. January – June 2014. Visiting Fellow: Eduardo Jofre of Univsersidad Andres Bello, Chile. Download final report.
Isolation and culture of Thraustochytrids from Scottish marine environments: why do these protists synthesise high amounts of unsaturated lipids? awarded to Dr David Pond of SAMS. January – June 2014. Visiting Fellow: Dr Silvana Rosa of Argentina. Download final report.
Ecological and evolutionary processes and patterns shaping biological diversity awarded to Prof Anne Magurran of St Andrews University. Visiting Fellow: September 2012 – March 2013. Prof Skuli Skulason of Holar University, Iceland. Download Final Report.
Organic aquaculture current state and future perspectives awarded to Dr Sam Martin and Prof Graham Pierce of Aberdeen University. Visiting Fellow: Prof Eleni Mente of University of Thessaly, Greece. Download final report.
Role of environmental cues in driving variability of reproductive periodicity in North Atlantic deep-water corals awarded to Prof Murray Roberts of Heriot Watt University. Two visits between August 2013 and June 2014. Visiting Fellow: Dr Sandra Brookes of Marine Conservation Institute, Seattle. Download final report
Investigating the role of chemical communication between cells in microbial biostabilization of marine sediments awarded to Prof David Paterson of St Andrews University. March – June 2013. Visiting Fellow: Prof Alan Decho of University of South Carolina, Columbia, USA. Download final report.
Predator movement responses in predictably ephemeral energetic environments awarded to Dr Ben Wilson of SAMS. August – October 2013. Visiting Fellow: Dr Mary-Anne Lea of University of Tasmania. The main output from this work is a publication (see below).
Benjamins, Steven, Andrew C. Dale, Gordon Hastie, J. J. Waggitt, M. A. Lea, B. Scott, and B. Wilson. “Confusion reigns? A review of marine megafauna interactions with tidal-stream environments.” Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review 53 (2015): 1-54.
Assessing anti-sea louse vaccine targets by a gene-knockdown approach awarded to Dr Alan Bowman of Aberdeen University. June – September 2012. Visiting Fellow: Dr Yamila Carpio Gonzalez of Cuba. Download final report.
Understanding the dynamic mesoscale habitats of top predators in the Southern Ocean awarded to Dr Lars Boehme and Prof Michael Fedak of St Andrews University. October 2012 – March 2013. Visiting Fellow: Dr Cedric Cotte of the University of Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris. See report in Kelpie newsletter June 2013 for a report on this visiting fellowship.
HOPGENE – exon shuffling in Ectocarpus candidate pathogen receptors: towards a paradigm in eukaryotic immunity awarded to Dr Claire Gachon of SAMS. February – July 2013. Visiting Fellow: Dr Antonios Zambounis of University of Thessaly, Greece. Download final report. This Visiting fellowship resulted in a publication in PNAS: Genome structure and metabolic features in the red seaweed Chrondus crispus shed light on evolution of the Archaeplastida.
MASTS was founded in 2009 to be a unique collaboration between marine research organisations, government and industry.
Charity Number: SC045259
Company Number: SC485726
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