Newcastle University

Introduction

I am Professor of Reproductive Biology with interests in life history theory, developmental biology and reproduction of marine invertebrates including, most recently, environmental genomics of biorhythms and signal transduction. I have research interests in the application of this knowledge especialy in sustainable aquaculture systems. I am an expert in the reproduction of Polychaeta (over 90 publications) and the commercial culture of polychaeta through my activities as a Director of Seabait Ltd.

Roles and Responsibilities

Chairman of Board of Examiners - BSc Marine Biology MSc Tropical Coastal management
Member of University Court
Member of University Council
Member of MAST Executive Committee

Qualifications

BSc (1st Class) Ncl Zoology, PhD Ncl

Research Interests

Environmental Genomics and Reproductive Biology and Development of Marine Invertebrates: Biorhythmicity and Molecular basis of Tidal Clock.
Sustainable Aquaculture: Culture or organisms low in the Foodweb and Biosynthesis of fatty acids. Role of Polychaete culture in relation to finfish and shrimp hatcheries
Developmental Biology of Polychaeta: use of regeneration as a model cell system for development.
Molecular Biology: Environmental Genomics, genetic basis of tidal and circadian rhythmicity, photoperiodism.

Other Expertise

Business administration and translation of concepts to commercial activity. Research Director of Company with global outreach.

Current Work

NERC/A/S/2001/1203 Molecular signalling of Environmental Effects on Marine Invertebrate Behaviour, Reproduction and Growth.
NER/T/S/2001/00273The molecular basis of biorhythmicity and signal transduction in marine organisms.
DTI/SMART/SEABAITLTD Enriched Polychaete products.
Overseas PhD Supervision in Reproduction of Polychaete Biofoulants; Integrated multispecies systems for sustainable aquaculture, Aquaculture nutrition.
Fields of interest: Polychaete reproduction, developmental biology, nutrition, population ecology and life history strategy, applications in multispecies aquaculture and aquaculture nutrition.

Future Research

Two major research applications have been submitted in September 2005

The Leverhulme Trust; Full grant proposal following acceptance of project pre-submission. "Signal Transdcution and entrainment of tidal rhythmicity in the King ragworm" Ampount requested £248,837

EU-INCO Acronym POLASEA Polychaete aquaculture as a component of Sustainable Aquaculture in South East Asia. Amount requested Euro 1.5 million

Grant applications will be submitted to the NStar fund during November 2005 for proof of concept funding for the bioengineering of blood substitutes from lugworm haemoglobin in a joint venture with CNRS-17 Station Biologique Roscoff and Seabait Ltd.

Application will be made for funding to support translational research into the production of PUFA by farming down the food web in collaboration with Universities in Singapore and Thailand.

Continuation funding will be sought to allow a second phase of molecular biology/chronobiological work to be undertaken using Dr Kim Last as an ongoing post graduate research associate.

Research Roles

Grant application, Project supervision, concept development, Industrial liaison and collaboration.

Publications include 7 patents.

Postgraduate Supervision

Currently I am supervising 5 PhD Students
Lotfi Wan Muda; Thanya Duangchinda, Elizabeth Ashworth, Pamela Edwards, Paul Bouch,
Recent PhD submissions Kim Last, 2000; Monirul Islam 2001; Ceri Lewis 2002; WillWright 2003, Perikles karageorgopoulos 2003

Esteem Indicators

1) External Science Assessor to the French national science programme PNEC – programme nationale des environements costieres;
2) Member of NERC Environmental Genomics review panel on data management;
3) British High Commission Singapore - Invited convener Workshop on Sustainable Aquaculture to be fully funded to develop the UK Singapore Action Plan for sustainable Aquaculture.
4) Invited participant in professional development programme for Marine Science Professionals University of Brest November 2005;
5) Convener and organiser 10th International Conference Invertebrate Reproduction September 2004;
6) External Examiner in Marine Science at the University of St Andrews.
7) Director and Research Director: Seabait Ltd www.seabait.com
8) Director Seabait Asia Pacific pte ltd
9) International research collaboration in Sustinable Aquaculture - personal contract Mahidol University Thailand.
10) Research Director and Consultant Seabait (MAINE)LLC and Centre for Cooperative Aquaculture Research Univeristy of Maine USA.
11) Invited Contributor and funded presentor to International Symposia on aspects of Sustainable Aquaculture in Korea (2002) Brazil (2003) Bali Indonesia (2005) and to be held in Singapore (2006)

Funding

Funding for travel in relation to the activities listed in esteem indicators - circa £10,000 per year as paid travel expenses.

Industrial Relevance

Resaerch is directly related to the development of sustainable aquaculture systems incorporating the production of organisms low in the food chain. IP transfer to Seabait Ltd has resulted in the development of an International Company now trading cultured marine worms and derived products in more than 35 countries. Recent developments include investment in a wholly owned production subsidiary in the USA and distribution centres in Florida and Singapore.
Equity raised in 2003 £800,000 current equity funding target £2 million.
Likely Industrial research grant applications to Knowledge Transfer Partnership £180,000
NStar Fund £45,000
EDB Singapore £140,000

Patents

GB0917423B "Aquaculture of Marine Worms" GB97934659.0 also active in 8 European countries
US09/402595 US6360688 "Photoperiodic Control of Growth"
GB98914962.0 GB0969717B Photoperiodic Control of Growth
Also active in 8 European countries
GB 0305615.7 GB2383934B "Aquaculture of Marine Worms"
ZA2003/2053 ZA2003/2053 "Aquaculture of Marine Worms"
EP02745561.7 EP1406487A "Aquaculture of Marine Worms"
US10/483314 "Aquaculture of Marine Worms"
PCT/GB2004/004596 "A Method for Inducing the Sexual Maturation of Lugworms"
EP03023698.8 EP1380206A "Aquaculture of Marine Worms"
GB0417977.6 "Enhanced Aquaculture Feeds"

Undergraduate Teaching

MSM222 Aquaculture and Fisheries – lectures on World aquaculture systems
MSM228 Module leader: Animal Development – lectures and practicals in animal development processes including molecular biology of fertilisation and regional organisation.
MSM238 Marine Ecology and Coastal Management – contribution of field and aquaculture system projects.
MST301 Module Leader: Reproduction and Life Histories – lectures on life history theory, evolution, cellular processes in reproduction and control processes.
MSM 335 Marine Organisms and Environment – lectures on seasonality and biological rhythmicity.
MSM 399 – supervision of research projects in aquaculture, invertebrate reproduction, coastal ecology, animal development.

Postgraduate Teaching

MST887 - Sustainable World Aquaculture - lectures on the dynamic development of world aquaculture as a sustainable contributor to human food production.

• Taylor RL, Caldwell GS, Olive PJW, Bentley MG. The harpacticoid copepod Tisbe holothuriae is resistant to the insidious effects of polyunsaturated aldehyde-producing diatoms. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 2012, 413, 30-37.
• Ashforth EJ, Olive PJW, Ward AC. Phylogenetic characterisation of bacterial assemblages and the role of sulphur-cycle bacteria in an Arenicola marina bioturbated mesocosm. Marine Ecology - Progress Series 2011, 439, 19-30.
• Olive PJW, Kyriacou CP, Last KS, Kramer C, Bailhache T, Rosato E. Dancing to the rhythms of geological time: The biorhythm capabilities of Polychaeta in a geological context. In: 10th International Congress on Invertebrate Reproduction and Development. 2005, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK: Invertebrate Reproduction and Development, Balaban Publishers.
• Tauber E, Last KS, Olive PJW, Kyriacou CP. Clock gene evolution and functional divergence. Journal of Biological Rhythms 2004,19 5 445-458.
• Lewis C, Caldwell GS, Bentley MG, Olive PJW. Effects of a bioactive diatom-derived aldehyde on developmental stability in Nereis virens (Sars) larvae: An analysis using fluctuating asymmetry. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 2004,304 1 1-16.
• Caldwell GS, Juwana S, Olive PJW. Effects of formaldehyde and oxytetracycline on the survival and surface colonisation of Carcinus maenas (L.) eggs and larvae: A Scanning Electron Microscopy study. 2004, IN REVISION.
• Caldwell GS, Ianora A, Bentley MG, Olive PJW. How do algal blooms affect the evolution of invertebrate life history strategies?. In: 10th International Conference on Invertebrate Reproduction and Development (ICIRD). 2004, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
• Last KS, Olive PJW. Interaction between photoperiod and an endogenous seasonal factor in influencing the diel locomotor activity of the benthic polychaete Nereis virens Sars. Biological Bulletin 2004,206 2 103-112.
• Golding DW, Bentley MG, Olive PJW eds. Proceedings of the 10th International Congress on Invertebrate Reproduction and Development. 2004, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. In Press.
• Caldwell GS, Bentley MG, Olive PJW. The diatom-derived aldehdye 2E,4E-decadienal induces necrosis during meiotic reinitiation in oocytes of Asterias rubens L (Echinodermata: Asteroidea). 2004. Submitted.
• Wells P, Baker J, Chapman P, Elliott M, Hutchings P, Mann K, Olive P, Pearce J, Phillips D, Sheppard C. From mimeos to E-copy - a tribute to Professor RB (Bob) Clark, founding editor of the Marine Pollution Bulletin. Marine Pollution Bulletin 2003, 46(9), 1051-1054.
• Olive PJW, Pinnegar JK, Polunin NVC, Richards G, Welch R. Isotope trophic-step fractionation: A dynamic equilibrium model. Journal of Animal Ecology 2003, 72(4), 608-617.
• Caldwell GS, Lewis C, Olive PJW. Can diatom blooms act as a selective pressure forcing seasonally reproducing invertebrates to spawn in suboptimal conditions?. In: Phytoplankton Productivity. 2002, Bangor, UK.
• Lewis C, Last K, Caldwell GS, Olive PJW. Does seasonal reproduction in marine invertebrates place offspring into optimal conditions for larval survival and development?. In: NERC thematic programme: Developmental Ecology of Marine Animals. 2001, University of Liverpool, UK.
• Olive PJW, Lewis C, Beardall V, Last K, Bentley MG. Fitness consequences of seasonal reproduction: experiments on the polychaete Nereis virens Sars. In: Atkinson, D., Thorndyke, M, ed. Environment and Animal Development: Genes, Life Histories and Plasticity. Oxford: BIOS Scientific Publishers Ltd, 2001, pp.chapter 17.
• Caldwell GS, Olive PJW, Bentley MG. The diatom toxin 2,trans,4,trans decadienal inhibits fertilization and embryonic development in the polychaetes Arenicola marina (L.) and Nereis (Neanthes) virens (Sars). In: 9th International Congress on Invertebrate Reproduction and Development. 2001, Grahamstown, South Africa.
• Wang WB, Olive PJW. Effects of cryopreservation on the ultrastructural anatomy of 3-segment Nereis virens larvae (Polychaeta). Invertebrate Biology 2000, 119(3), 309-318.
• Olive PJW, Lewis C, Beardall V. Fitness components of seasonal reproduction: An analysis using Nereis virens as a life history model. Oceanologica Acta 2000, 23(4), 377-389.
• Rees SW, Olive PJW. Manipulating the timing of maturation and competence for fertilization and development of oocytes from the semelparous polychaete Nereis (Neanthes) virens Sars. Invertebrate Reproduction and Development 2000, 38(2), 81-84.
• Last KS, Olive PJW, Edwards AJ. An actographic study of diel activity in the semelparous polychaete Nereis (Neanthes) virens Sars in relation to the annual cycle of growth and reproduction. Invertebrate Reproduction and Development 1999, 35(2), 141-145.
• Last KS, Olive PJW. Photoperiodic control of growth and segment proliferation by Nereis (Neanthes) virens in relation to state of maturity and season. Marine Biology 1999, 134(1), 191-199.