Postgraduate research

My PhD was funded by the University of Aberdeen, with support from the University’s Development Trust. My research aimed to understand molecular level cross-talk between the immune and growth systems of salmonid fish. The Macqueen lab, in collaboration with Dr Bob Devlin’s group in Canada, is using transgenic salmon overexpressing growth hormone (GH) to study these physiological interactions, focusing on skeletal muscle, a key energy store that is routinely remobilized for resource reallocation. To measure proteomic changes, my project used a state-of-the-art Q-Exactive Orbitrap mass spectrometer for label-free analysis. This technology allowed us to measure hundreds-to-thousands of proteins from one sample and gives a high-quality snap-shot of the organism’s molecular status.