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Staff Profile

Dr Samuel Logan

Technical Operations Manager

Background

My background is in plant population genetics. However, I have a broad range of interests including ecology and conservation, plant biology, biodiversity, ornithology and entomology. I work closely with the SAgE Technical Operations Managers and the wider SNES Team Leaders and technical team on technical management issues and infrastructure projects, lab relocations and refurbishments and capital purchases. I lead technical colleagues in providing support to the School's plant research projects. I manage research labs and plant growth facilities both on and off campus and the teaching labs at Cockle Park farm. I am a Licence Holder and Administrative Manager of the School’s Animal and Plant Health (APHA) Licences, quarantined specimens, licenced material transfers and mandatory annual inspections. I lead and support technical colleagues on Sustainability Initiatives e.g. L.E.A.F. and My Green Lab Freezer Challenge across our estate. I support technical colleagues in managing the School’s vehicle fleet, the Shuttle Service to CP Farm, and Field kit store and the associated booking systems.

Other responsibilities include:

·    Managing maintenance and service contracts.

·    Supporting the School Safety Officer and the University’s H&S team e.g. HAZMAP, Annual Safety Inspections, First Aid Needs Assessments etc.

·    Monitoring and maintaining Health & Safety in labs and at outstations.

Qualifications:

PhD Population Genetics (Newcastle University)

MSc Molecular Ecology (Queens University Belfast)

BSc (Hons) Ecology and Conservation and Wildlife Biology 

Professional Affiliations:

Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Affiliateship of the City & Guilds of London Institute


Research

I'm a population geneticist. I've mostly worked on Tilia (lime trees) from the UK and across Europe, and from western Siberia, using microsatellite markers to discriminate between species, hybrids, and clonal cultivar groups but I've also worked on Indonesian birds (unpub.) and Whitefly.

Since 2012, I've used Tilia specific microsatellites to: discriminated for the first time between the species and hybrid, and assess the population genetic diversity of the two UK species, T. cordata and T. platyphyllos; highlight the within-population genetic diversity of the rare Siberian lime (T. sibirica) and propose a putative Pleistocene split from the small-leaved lime; assess genetic diversity, relatedness, clonal reproduction, and range effects of two European species.

I have worked with collaborators from American and European Universities and with UK collaborators (Kew Gardens, Local Countryside Trusts, Local Interest Groups).


Publications