Environmental Research Institute

• PhD Researcher - Development of biomarker protocols to assess the impact of nitrogen pollution on the metabolic response of the reindeer lichen C. portentosa.

• Biotechnology & Bioresources
• Emerging Contaminants & Ecotoxicology

• 2006 – Present
  Development of biomarker protocols to asses the impact of environmental change and genetic diversity on organism and cellular responses (ARC Studentship)
• 2006
  MSc in Marine Resource Development and Protection with Distinction / Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh/Scotland (SAAS Studentship)
• 2005
  Phytoplankton monitoring on Sherkin Marine Station/Ireland
• 2004
  Lecturer for Microbiology at Vocational College in Leipzig/Germany
• 2004
  First Degree: Biology – University of Leipzig and Friedrich-Schiller University Jena /Germany
• Jun – Dec 2003
  Research Collaboration with Prof. Dr. J. Raven (University of Dundee) for final year project of the Diplom Degree (DAAD Studentship)

Qualifications:

• Oct 05 - Oct 06
  MSc Marine Resource Development & Protection, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland
• July 03 - Dec 03
  Research Collaboration with Prof. Dr. John Raven at the University of Dundee
• Oct 98 - May 04
  Diplom- Degree in Biology, University of Leipzig/ Friedrich Schiller University Jena/Germany

Professional membership:

• STEM - Science & Engineering Ambassador (SEA)
• Member of the Society of Experimental Biology
• Member of the British Ecological Society
• Member of the Metabolomic Society
• Member of the Association of Chemistry and the Environment (ACE)

• Phytoplankton: Diplom-thesis: “Determination of alternative electron pathways under phosphorus and nitrogen limitation in the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum”; Phytoplankton Report of Roaring Water Bay from April to September 2005.
• Environmental Sciences and Toxicology: MSc thesis : "Investigation of sediment spiking procedures and sediment preparation for Microtox® Solid – Phase Toxicity Testing"
• Environmental Metabolomics

• Presentations:
  • Sept 09 - British Ecological Society Annual Meeting 09 - Environmental Metabolomics Workshop/
    University of Hertfordshire
    Freitag S., Hogan E.J., Crittenden P.D., Squier, A.H.,Thain S.C.
    Metabolic fingerprinting and profiling as complementary techniques for assessing the response of the reindeer lichen Cladonia  portentosa due to increasing wet N inputs. Oral Presentation
  • June 09 - Society of Experimental Biology Annual Meeting 09, Glasgow
    Freitag S., Hogan E.J., Crittenden P.D., Squier, A.H.,Thain S.C.: Assessing metabolic changes of the reindeer lichen C. portentosa to increasing environmental N inputs using metabolomic fingerprinting and profiling techniques. Oral presentation
  • Nov 08 - UHI Postgraduate Conference, Oban
    Freitag S., Hogan E.J., Crittenden P.D., Squier, A.H.,Thain S.C.: Lichen metabolomic responses on a geo-spatial scale. Oral presentation
  • Oct 08 - 4th Advances in metabolic profiling (AMP), Lisbon
    Freitag S., Hogan E.J., Crittenden P.D., Squier, A.H.,Thain S.C.: Development of biomarker protocols for the assessment of environmental air quality changes using the reindeer lichen Cladonia portentosa. Oral presentation
  • Sept 08 - Attendance of Environmental Metabolomics Workshop within the Annual Meeting of the British Ecological Society Meeting
  • Sept 08 - First Scottish Postgraduate Meeting for Analytical Environmental Chemistry/Glasgow
    Freitag S., Hogan E.J., Crittenden P.D., Squier, A.H.,Thain S.C.: Nitrogen enrichment induces metabolic responses in the reindeer lichen Cladonia portentosa. Poster presentation
  • July 08 - The 6th Symposium of the International Association for Lichenology (IAL6),California
    Freitag S., Hogan E.J., Crittenden P.D., Squier, A.H.,Thain S.C.: Nitrogen enrichment induces metabolic variation in the reindeer lichen Cladonia portentosa. Poster presentation by E. Hogan
  • Dec 07 - 8th European Meeting on Environmental Chemistry (EMEC 8), Inverness
    Freitag S., Hogan E.J., Crittenden P.D.Thain S.C.: Development of biomarker protocols for the assessment of environmental air quality changes using the reindeer lichen Cladonia portentosa. Poster presentation
  • June 07 - UHI Postgraduate Conference, Skye
    Freitag S., Hogan E.J., Crittenden P.D.Thain S.C.: Development of metabolic biomarker protocols for the assessment of environmental change: The response of the lichen Cladonia portentosa to atmospheric nitrogen deposition. Poster presentation
• Training:
  • Apr 09 - Grad School – Heriot-Watt University/Edinburgh (Transkills)
  • Mar 09 - Effective Writing Course – UHI Executive Office/Inverness (Transkills)
  • Feb 09 - Effective Presentation Skills Course – Edinburgh University/Edinburgh (Transkills)
  • May 08 - Introduction to medical statistics course – UHI Executive Office/Inverness (UoA)
  • Nov 07 - Highland Statistics Event - Inverness
  • Mar 07 - Effective Researcher Course- UHI Executive Office/Inverness (Transkills)
  • Participation in ERI team meetings  internal seminars
• SCHOLARSHIP AND TRAVEL GRANTS AWARDED
  • Sept 09 - British Ecological Society Travel Grant (BES)
    Travel grant for the attendance of the Environmental Metabolomics Workshop within the BES annual meeting in Hertfordshire.
  • June 09 - Company of Biologists Travel Grant (COB)
    Travel grant for the attendance of the annual meeting of the Society of Experimental Biology (SEB).
  • Oct 08 - Thomas & Margaret Roddan Trust bursary
    Travel grant for the attendance of 4th Advances in Metabolic Profiling conference in Lisbon
  • Oct 05-Sept 06 - SAAS (Student Awards Agency for Scotland)
    Studentship for tuition fees for MRDP course.
  • Jul 03-Dec 03 - DAAD (German Academic Exchange Programme) Studentship
    Studentship for 4 month research stay in Dundee.