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Dr Andrew Dean

Senior Lecturer in Aquatic and Microbial Biology

My profile

Biography

I am an Aquatic and Microbial Scientist with a particular interest in lake and river ecology, and algal biology, including the potential of algae for biotechnology. My research is both field and lab-based and is highly interdisciplinary, with approaches that include classical field ecology, molecular biology, metabolomics and genetic modification. My research informs my teaching, the topics of which include Algal Biofuels, Acid Mine Drainage Impacts and Mitigation and Lake and River Ecology.

My bachelors degree was in Applied Physics, though I later moved to Environmental Science via a Masters in Pollution and Environmental control at the University of Manchester where I also carried out my PhD looking at seasonal succession of phytoplankton in two lakes - Rostherne Mere and Hollingworth Lake. I then carried out a number of postdoctoral positions looking in more detail at algal physiology and molecular biology. In 2014 I moved to the University of Sheffield lecturing in Geography and Environmental Science, before moving to Manchester Metropolitan University in 2016 as a Lecturer in Microbiology, and taking up my current role of Senior Lecturer in 2018.

Get in touch

0161 247 1161
E431 John Dalton East

Teaching

I teach on a range of topics related to Environmental and Applied Microbiology. I like to take an innovate approach to teaching, with active learning approaches (including practicals and tutorials) at the forefront, with teaching material framed around real-world applications of the subjects taught. The units I coordinate are

  • Microbiology (2nd year) - Investigates Environmental, Food and Medical Microbiology. Extensive practical session provide microbiology skills, and an assessment taking an investigative and practical approach to identifying food borne pathogens.
  • Biotechnology (3rd year) - in this unit 3 members of staff each present areas of their research (microbial fuel cells, algal biofuels, antibiotic discovery) in a series of lectures and linked practicals, the material of which is then used as a springboard for students to come up with their own idea which form the basis for the assessment, which is a Grant Application.
  • Frontiers in Biotechnology (3rd year) - This unit again takes a research led approach with staff presenting their current research in Lab on a Chip Technologies, Acid Mine Drainage mitigation, and Bacterial Control. Student then produce a Tender response/consultancy report detailing how they would use the technology to solve a real world industrial problem.

I supervise dissertations at both Undergraduate and Masters level, primarily in the field of aquatic biology, including studies of lakes, river and ponds, and the life within them, as well as studies looking at pollution and its mitigation. Recent dissertation topics investigated:

  • large woody debris in rivers for flood mitigation leads to increased invertebrate biodiversity.
  • the quantity and types of microplastics in canal sediments
  • the impact of sewage discharge on river water quality and microbial life.
  • the mechanisms of tolerance of algae from acid mine drainage sites to high metal concentrations
  • aquatic life in rivers polluted with acid mine drainage

Supervision

I supervise PhD and MRes research students.

Current Research Students

  • Comfort Chinyere Anyanwu (PhD, Establishment of Anammox Wastewater Treatment in the Expanded bed Biofilm Reactor (EBBR))
  • Sam Dronfield (MRes, Sustainable Moss Culturing)
  • Anosh Wandre (MRes, Investigation of the Microbial Community Structure of Peat and Saltmarsh Plant Microbial Fuel Cells)

Previous Research Students

Saule Akhmetkaliyeva (PhD, Carbon release during 21st century glacier recession: A positive feedback in the global carbon cycle?)

Lewis Browett (MRes, How does seawater influx ellicit compositional and functional changes in plant associated microbial communities?)

Research outputs

  • Journal articles

    Browett, L.C., Ruiz-Lopez, S., Mossman, H.L., Dean, A.P., Rivett, D.W. (2023) 'Prior exposure of microbial communities to seawater reduces resilience but increases compositional and functional resistance to flooding events.' Science of the Total Environment, 896pp. 165040-165040.

    Adekolurejo, O.A., Floyd, M., Dunn, A.M., Kay, P., Dean, A.P., Hassall, C. (2022) 'Combined effects of increased water temperature and cyanobacterial compounds exert heterogeneous effects on survival and ecological processes in key freshwater species.' Oecologia, 200(3-4) pp. 515-528.

    Allen, H., Zeef, L., Morreel, K., Goeminne, G., Kumar, M., Gomez, L.D., Dean, A.P., Eckmann, A., Casiraghi, C., McQueen-Mason, S.J., Boerjan, W., Turner, S.R. (2022) 'Flexible and digestible wood caused by viral-induced alteration of cell wall composition.' Current Biology, 32(15) pp. 3398-3406.

    Aguinaga, O.E., White, K.N., Dean, A.P., Pittman, J.K. (2021) 'Addition of organic acids to acid mine drainage polluted wetland sediment leads to microbial community structure and functional changes and improved water quality.' Environmental Pollution, 290

    Deane, A., Norrey, J., Coulthard, E., McKendry, D.C., Dean, A.P. (2021) 'Riverine large woody debris introduced for natural flood management leads to rapid improvement in aquatic macroinvertebrate diversity.' Ecological Engineering, 163pp. 106197-106197.

    Redfern, J., Ratova, M., Dean, A.P., Pritchett, J., Grao, M., Verran, J., Kelly, P. (2020) 'Visible light photocatalytic bismuth oxide coatings are effective at suppressing aquatic cyanobacteria and degrading free-floating genomic DNA.' Journal of Environmental Sciences, 104pp. 128-136.

    Ibuot, A., Dean, A.P., Pittman, J.K. (2020) 'Multi-genomic analysis of the cation diffusion facilitator transporters from algae.' Metallomics : integrated biometal science, 12(4) pp. 617-630.

    Chalkley, R., Child, F., Al-Thaqafi, K., Dean, A.P., White, K.N., Pittman, J.K. (2019) 'Macroalgae as spatial and temporal bioindicators of coastal metal pollution following remediation and diversion of acid mine drainage.' Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 182

    Aguinaga, O.E., Wakelin, J.F.T., White, K.N., Dean, A.P., Pittman, J.K. (2019) 'The association of microbial activity with Fe, S and trace element distribution in sediment cores within a natural wetland polluted by acid mine drainage.' Chemosphere, 231pp. 432-441.

    Dean, A.P., Hartley, A., McIntosh, O.A., Smith, A., Feord, H.K., Holmberg, N.H., King, T., Yardley, E., White, K.N., Pittman, J.K. (2018) 'Metabolic adaptation of a Chlamydomonas acidophila strain isolated from acid mine drainage ponds with low eukaryotic diversity.' Science of the Total Environment, 647pp. 75-87.

    Aguinaga, O.E., McMahon, A., White, K.N., Dean, A.P., Pittman, J.K. (2018) 'Microbial community shifts in response to acid mine drainage pollution within a natural wetland ecosystem.' Frontiers in Microbiology, 9pp. 1-14.

    Driver, T., Trivedi, D.K., McIntosh, O.A., Dean, A.P., Goodacre, R., Pittman, J.K. (2017) 'Two Glycerol-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases from Chlamydomonas have Distinct Roles in Lipid Metabolism..' Plant physiology, 174pp. 2083-2097.

    Ibuot, A., Dean, A.P., McIntosh, O.A., Pittman, J.K. (2017) 'Metal bioremediation by CrMTP4 over-expressing Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in comparison to natural wastewater-tolerant microalgae strains.' Algal Research, 24pp. 89-96.

    Bajhaiya, A.K., Dean, A.P., Zeef, L.A.H., Webster, R.E., Pittman, J.K. (2016) 'PSR1 is a global transcriptional regulator of phosphorus deficiency responses and carbon storage metabolism in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.' Plant Physiology, 170(3) pp. 1216-1234.

    Bajhaiya, A.K., Dean, A.P., Driver, T., Trivedi, D.K., Rattray, N.J.W., Allwood, J.W., Goodacre, R., Pittman, J.K. (2016) 'High-throughput metabolic screening of microalgae genetic variation in response to nutrient limitation.' Metabolomics, 12(1) pp. 1-14.

    Driver, T., Bajhaiya, A.K., Allwood, J.W., Goodacre, R., Pittman, J.K., Dean, A.P. (2015) 'Metabolic responses of eukaryotic microalgae to environmental stress limit the ability of FT-IR spectroscopy for species identification.' Algal Research, 11pp. 148-155.

    Michailova, P., Ilkova, J., Dean, A.P., White, K.N. (2015) 'Cytogenetic index and functional genome alterations in Chironomus piger Strenzke (Diptera, Chironomidae) in the assessment of sediment pollution: A case study of Bulgarian and UK rivers.' Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 111pp. 220-227.

    Dean, A.P., Pittman, J.K. (2015) 'Lipids from Algae: Novel Applications and Powerful Quantification Methods.' INFORM, 26(1) pp. 14-17.

    Osundeko, O., Dean, A.P., Davies, H., Pittman, J.K. (2014) 'Acclimation of microalgae to wastewater environments involves increased oxidative stress tolerance activity.' Plant and Cell Physiology, 55(10) pp. 1848-1857.

    Michailova, P., Kownacki, A., Woznicka, O., White, K., Dean, A., Szarek-Gwiazda, E. (2014) 'Macropelopia nebulosa group (Diptera, Chironomidae, Tanypodinae)-karyotype and morphology of larvae and pupae.' Zootaxa, 3852(1) pp. 83-100.

    Michailova, P., Kownacki, A., Woznicka, O., White, K.N., Dean, A.P., Szarek-Gwiadza, E. (2014) 'Macropelopia nebulosa group (Diptera, Chironomidae, Tanypodinae) - karyotype and morphology of larva and pupae.' Zootaxa, 3852(1) pp. 083-100.

    McTeer, J., Dean, A.P., White, K.N., Pittman, J.K. (2014) 'Bioaccumulation of silver nanoparticles into Daphnia magna from a freshwater algal diet and the impact of phosphate availability.' Nanotoxicology, 8(3) pp. 305-316.

    Dean, A.P., Pittman, J.K., Sigee, D.C. (2014) 'From lake ecology to biofuels-applications of fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to algal research.' Spectroscopy Europe, 26(1) pp. 14-17.

    Dean, A.P., Lynch, S., Rowland, P., Toft, B.D., Pittman, J.K., White, K.N. (2013) 'Natural wetlands are efficient at providing long-term metal remediation of freshwater systems polluted by acid mine drainage.' Environmental Science and Technology, 47(21) pp. 12029-12036.

    Dean, A.P., Nicholson, J.M., Sigee, D.C. (2012) 'Changing patterns of carbon allocation in lake phytoplankton: An FTIR analysis.' Hydrobiologia, 684(1) pp. 109-127.

    Webster, R.E., Dean, A.P., Pittman, J.K. (2011) 'Cadmium exposure and phosphorus limitation increases metal content in the freshwater alga chlamydomonas reinhardtii.' Environmental Science and Technology, 45(17) pp. 7489-7496.

    Pittman, J.K., Dean, A.P., Osundeko, O. (2011) 'The potential of sustainable algal biofuel production using wastewater resources.' Bioresource Technology, 102(1) pp. 17-25.

    Dean, A.P., Sigee, D.C., Estrada, B., Pittman, J.K. (2010) 'Using FTIR spectroscopy for rapid determination of lipid accumulation in response to nitrogen limitation in freshwater microalgae.' Bioresource Technology, 101(12) pp. 4499-4507.

    Dean, A.P., Nicholson, J.M., Sigee, D.C. (2008) 'Impact of phosphorus quota and growth phase on carbon allocation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: An FTIR microspectroscopy study.' European Journal of Phycology, 43(4) pp. 345-354.

    Hunt, J.W., Dean, A.P., Webster, R.E., Johnson, G.N., Ennos, A.R. (2008) 'A novel mechanism by which silica defends grasses against herbivory.' Annals of Botany, 102(4) pp. 653-656.

    Dean, A.P., Estrada, B., Nicholson, J.M., Sigee, D.C. (2008) 'Molecular response of Anabaena flos-aquae to differing concentrations of phosphorus: A combined Fourier transform infrared and X-ray microanalytical study.' Phycological Research, 56(3) pp. 193-201.

    Sigee, D.C., Bahrami, F., Estrada, B., Webster, R.E., Dean, A.P. (2007) 'The influence of phosphorus availability on carbon allocation and P quota in Scenedesmus subspicatus: A synchrotron-based FTIR analysis.' Phycologia, 46(5) pp. 583-592.

    Sigee, D.C., Selwyn, A., Gallois, P., Dean, A.P. (2007) 'Patterns of cell death in freshwater colonial cyanobacteria during the late summer bloom.' Phycologia, 46(3) pp. 284-292.

    Dean, A.P., Martin, M.C., Sigee, D.C. (2007) 'Resolution of codominant phytoplankton species in a eutrophic lake using synchrotron-based Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.' Phycologia, 46(2) pp. 151-159.

    Dean, A.P., Sigee, D.C. (2006) 'Molecular heterogeneity in Aphanizomenon flos-aquae and Anabaena flos-aquae (Cyanophyta): A synchrotron-based Fourier-transform infrared study of lake micropopulations.' European Journal of Phycology, 41(2) pp. 201-212.

    Sigee, D.C., Dean, A.P., Levado, E., Tobin, M.J. (2001) 'Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy of Pediastrum duplex: characterization of a micro-population isolated from a eutrophic lake..' European Journal of Phycology, 37pp. 19-26.