| Academic Year | 2024-2025 |
| Institution | University of Aberdeen |
Biography
School: School of Biological Sciences
Pronouns: she/her
Name pronunciation: Loo-cee
Project: Neuroendocrine disruption in marine shellfish: uncovering cellular and developmental mechanisms of action using a sentinel bioindicator species
Supervisors: Dr Victoria Sleight, Prof Gary Hardiman, Dr David Fisher, Prof Jaimie Thomas Dick & Dr Alice Baynes
Undergraduate Education: BSc Zoology, University of Aberdeen
Postgraduate Education: N/A
Research: Endocrine disruptors (EDs) are pollutants that alter the normal function of the endocrine system and are acknowledged to be ubiquitous in aquatic systems, including wastewater effluents. This disruption is of particular concern, as changes to endocrine processes impact neuroendocrine regulation of fundamental life functions, including growth, development, immune response, stress response, and metabolism. Research indicates molluscs are affected by EDs at very low concentrations (ng/L), yet an understanding of the cellular and developmental mechanisms underlying neuroendocrine disruption remains largely unknown. Using the slipper limpet Crepidula fornicata as a bioindicator species, I aim to characterise the development of the endocrine and neuroendocrine systems and study their responses to known human pharmaceutical EDs in aquatic environments.
Objectives:
- Characterise neuroendocrine development in molluscs using transcriptomic data and a range of microscopy techniques to map and describe the neuronal and endocrine cells of fornicata throughout its development.
- Systematically test the effects of environmentally relevant EDs on development by observing cellular behaviour, morphology, and gene expression.
- Scale individual effects to population-level impacts by studying larval behaviours, such as dispersal and settlement preferences after ED exposure at different concentrations to understand survivorship and potential ecosystem scale impacts.
Check out Sleight Lab for more information on the benefits of using C. fornicata as a developmental research model species here
