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Staff Profile

George Merces

Experimental Scientific Officer

  • Email: george.merces@ncl.ac.uk
  • Telephone: 01912086813
  • Address: Bio-Imaging Unit
    William Leech Building
    Second Floor, Room M2.150
    The Medical School
    Framlington Place
    Newcastle Upon Tyne
    NE2 4HH
Background
I am a biologist with a background in translational medicine and microscopy. During my BSc(Hons) in Biological Sciences at the University of East Anglia (2012-2015) I shadowed the microscopy facility manager, and followed my budding interest in imaging and microscopy to a MSc program at University College Dublin, Ireland (2015-2016). Here I gained experience in the practical and theoretical aspects of microscopy from a wide range of imaging modalities, from the very small scale of super-resolution microscopy to the larger macro imaging of CT and MRI. I studied my PhD in Translational Medicine (2017-2021) where I both performed research and taught human anatomy to medicine and allied health science students. My research involved studying a bioadhesive used by a species of Ctenophore, Pleurobrachia pileus, in prey capture. I developed open-source microscopy systems to assist in answering key questions relating to this adhesive, including the bio-economics of how the adhesive cells are utilised in prey capture, and how the adhesive interacts with human cell lines in vivo. I am now working as an Experimental Scientific Officer here at Newcastle University, where I am assisting researchers in the design, development, and implementation of novel image processing and analysis techniques, including custom pipeline design to maximise what researchers get out of their imaging experiments.
Teaching
My previous teaching involved human clinical anatomy demonstrating within University College Dublin, where I focussed on applying 3D printing and innovative practical session design to improve the education of medicine and allied health students.
Publications