Dr Gillian Mackinnon

Gillian Mackinnon

Lecturer in Biogeochemical Tracers

SUERC, Rankine Avenue, East Kilbride, G75 0QF
  • Using organic, inorganic and radionuclide species as tracers of environmental processes
  • Understanding the behaviour of pollutants in the environment
  • Remediation of environmental contaminants
  • Environmental analytical chemistry

My research and teaching interests comfortably encompass organic, inorganic and radionuclide geochemistry, focusing on using carbon isotopes, inorganic isotopes and radioisotopes as biogeochemical tracers in the environment.

Current Research

LoRISE : Long-lived Radionuclides in the Surface Environment – Mechanistic Studies of Speciation, Environmental Transport and Transfer. 

This is a NERC consortium project consisting of seven universities, the Scottish Association for Marine Science and the UK’s synchrotron, Diamond Light Source.  The project will characterise biogeochemical, biological and radiological conditions at four ‘natural laboratories’ that contain elevated levels of these radionuclides from man-made and natural sources, spanning both onshore and offshore locations in the UK.

Understanding the persistence, transformation and fate of CIPC in commercial potato stores to help guard against cross-contamination.

This research, funded by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board – Potatoes, focuses on understanding the germination and cross contamination problems brought about by CIPC residues in potato stores.  The research will have significant cross-division impact for Potatoes, Horticulture and Cereals and Oilseeds and will deliver innovative solutions with practical benefits to the AHDB and the industry as a whole.