Biography

Gill is an experienced aquatic ecologist with a background in applied and environmental chemistry. Her BSc honours project examined the effects of heavy metal pollution on freshwater snails and her masters research (based on Esthwaite Water in the Lake District) looked at the fluctuating concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorous in the surface waters of a thermally stratified lake

Upon graduation with an MSc from Napier University, Gill worked for an aquatic environmental consultancy in Manchester carrying out impact assessments and routine monitoring of both coastal and inland waters, followed by two years working as a research assistant at the Scottish Centre for Ecology and the Natural Environment (SCENE) within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

Gill’s PhD research was based mainly at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) in Oban, but she spent around three months a year in Plymouth at the Marine Biological Association (MBA).  Her work examined the effects of biodiversity on food choice in grazing gastropods (limpets, periwinkles and top shells) in the two regions using a wide range of ecological and chemical techniques.

In 2011 Gill joined the University of Cumbria as a Lecturer in Applied Chemistry, teaching on the Forensic Science, Forestry and Conservation programmes.  In 2015 she designed and validated a new honours degree in Marine and Freshwater Conservation and now the majority of her time is spent developing and delivering this exciting programme from the heart of Cumbria’s beautiful Lake District National Park.

Qualifications and memberships

  • Fellow of Higher Education Academy (HEA)
  • Member of Freshwater Biological Society (FBA)
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching for Higher Education, University of Cumbria (2013)
  • PhD ‘A comparison of the trophic ecology of grazing gastropods on the rocky shores of northern and southern Britain’, Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), Marine Biological Association (MBA), University of Aberdeen (2011)
  • MSc Distinction Biology of Water Resource Management, Napier University (2002)
  • BSc (Hons) First Class Aquatic Bioscience, University of Glasgow (2001)

Academic and research interests

  • Marine and freshwater ecology and conservation
  • Biology and ecology of aquatic molluscs
  • Pollution biology and environmental chemistry
  • Ecological applications of stable isotope chemistry
  • Trophic ecology, resource use and ecosystem services

Publications

  • Notman, G.M., Hawkins, S.J., McGill, R.A.R. and Burrows, M.T. (2016) ‘Macroalgae contribute to the diet of Patella vulgata from contrasting conditions of latitude and wave exposure in the UK’. Marine Ecology Progress Series 549, pp. 113-123.
  • Huntingford, F.A., Andrew, G., Mackenzie, S, Morera, D., Coyle, S.M., Pilarczyk, M. and Kadri, S. (2010) ‘Coping strategies in a strongly schooling fish, the common carp Cyprinus carpio’.  Journal of Fish Biology 76, pp. 1576-1591. 
  • Notman, G. M., Burrows, M. T., Hawkins, S. J. & McGill, R. A. R. (2012) ‘Stable isotope evidence for convergent resource use in intertidal grazing gastropods within experimental microcosms’. Poster Presentation. 7th International Conference on Applications of Stable Isotopes to Ecological Studies, French Research Institute for the Exploration of the Sea, Brest, France.
  • Notman, G. M., Burrows, M. T., Hawkins, S. J. & McGill, R. A. R. (2011) ‘The mutual mucus ingestion hypothesis. Evidence of convergent resource use in intertidal grazing gastropods within experimental microcosms’. Oral Presentation. 9th International Temperate Reefs Symposium, Plymouth.
  • Andrew, G. M., Burrows, M. T., Hawkins, S. J. & McGill, R. A. R.  (2008)  ‘Seaweed or biofilm?  Experimental approaches to examine the diet of Patella vulgata using stable isotopes’.  Poster Presentation.  6th International Conference on Applications of Stable Isotopes to Ecological Studies, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, USA.

Recent external roles

  • External Examiner BSc (Hons) Wildlife Conservation & Ecology, Reaseheath College (2015 – 2020)
  • KTP Academic Supervisor 'Freshwater mussels as a control for algae in nuclear fuel ponds' (2014)