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Dr Diane Purcell

Research Scientist - Applied Phycology

https://people.csiro.au/P/D/diane-purcell

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Biography

Algal research has been the focus of my scientific career for the past 20 years, which began during an undergraduate placement in a microbial ecology laboratory at Imperial College London, where I got hooked on Algae!
My research interests are covering both fundamental questions and applied research. Specialisations include Microbial Ecology, Phycology, Water Science, Microbiology, Molecular Biology and genetics Taxonomy, Astrobiology and Biogeochemistry.
My background experience has been built through projects worldwide, from the SETI Institute at NASA, in California, to Imperial College, London, in the UK, to Hong Kong University, and field work in Tibet, which are all linked back to algal-based research. Industry connections began with four UK Water companies during my PhD., since then a Research Fellow position based in Darwin under the umbrella organisation NAMRA (North Australia Marine Research Alliance), included both university, government and local indigenous groups involvement. I have participated in 10 research cruises and wrote and co-organised a research Cruise at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). This was a collaborative cruise with AIMS, CSIRO, CDU, and the NT government. I have also worked within the EU-PROTOOL grant across about 10 organisations across Europe, while based at the NOC (National Oceanography Centre) as a Research Fellow in Ocean biogeochemistry in Southampton, U.K.
Since then, I’ve continued to travel with algae taking me to the South Coast of Australia, New Zealand, the West Coast of Ireland, most recently looking at brown seaweeds and their potential as algal bioproducts, for food, feed and pharmaceutical industry. This work on seaweed was as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow at Teagasc (Ireland's Agriculture and Food Development Authority) and the Cawthron Institute in New Zealand and funded on the ALGIPRO project through the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme #754380. I started a new role at CSIRO as an IWY (impossible without you) Research Scientist under the Environomics Future Science Platform (FSP) within the Australian National Algal Culture Collection (ANACC), in early 2023.

Academic Qualifications

  • 2000

    Bachelor's Degree, in Zoology
    University of Wales, Aberystwyth. Wales.

  • 2005

    Master's Degree, Ecology, Conservation and Evolution
    Imperial College, London, U.K.

  • 2009

    Doctor of Philosophy, Water Science and Microbiology
    Cranfield University, Bedfordshire U.K.

  • 2017

    Bachelor's Degree, Secondary Education and Teaching (Science and Mathematics Specialism)
    Charles Darwin University, Darwin. Australia

Grants

  • 01/2020-01/2023

    Marie Curie Fellowship: funding from the Teagasc Research Leaders 2025 programme co-funded by Teagasc and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement number 754380. (220,000 Euro)

  • 06/2013-01/2017

    NAMRA Fellowship, (North Australian Marine Research Alliance)- ($60,000 AUD)

  • 2010-2010

    Carbon Trust in collaboration with Conventry University- biofuels Research (500,000 GBP)

  • 2006-2009

    PhD Research Project Cranfield University (Private Funding- UK Water Companies) (40,000 GBP)

Other highlights

  • 01/2020-01/2023

    Marie Sklodowska Curie Research Fellow

  • 10/2021-10/2023

    Adjunct Researcher University of Tasmania

  • 01/2017-12/2023

    Honorary Fellow Charles Darwin University

Community and Corporate Citizenship

  • 19/05/2023-19/05/2023

    Southern Catholic College Careers Showcase: CSIRO Exhibitor

  • 08/06/2023-08/06/2023

    World Oceans Day: Talk to All Students at Cygnet Primary School, Tasmania

  • 04/08/2023-13/08/2023

    Beaker Street Festival: Roving Scientist

  • 10/08/2023-10/08/2023

    STEM in Schools: Career Talk given at St. Mary's College Marine Science Class

  • 17/08/2023-17/08/2023

    ANACC Laboratory Tour for Year 9-10 Class from St. Mary's College hobart

Professional Areas

Related links

Publications

We have publications by Dr Diane Purcell