Vance C., Pollard P., Maguire J., Sweeney J., Murphy F. (2023) Sustainable scale-up of Irish seaweed production: Quantifying potential environmental, economic, and social impacts of wild harvesting and cultivation pathways. Algal Research, 103294, ISSN 2211-9264
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López-Mayán, J.J., Álvarez-Fernández, B., Peña-Vázquez, E., Barciela‑Alonso, M.C., Moreda‑Pineiro, A., Maguire J., Mackey M., Quarato M., Pinheiro, I., Espiña, B. (2023) Bioaccumulation of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in green (Ulva sp.) and red (Palmaria palmata) seaweed. Microchim Acta 190, 287.
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Role: PhD student

Hussein is an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's Degree (BIOREF) scholar specializing in the Biorefining field. His academic journey includes dual bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering and business administration from Anadolu University and a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Yildiz Technical University in Istanbul, Turkey. Driven by a passion for sustainability and renewable materials, Hussein actively seeks opportunities to contribute his expertise to academic and industrial endeavors. He envisions a future where innovative solutions promote sustainability. Beyond academia, Hussein is an adventurous globe trotter, which fuels his desire to discover novel solutions to sustainability challenges.

As he embarks on the MSCA DN SEACHEM Project, Hussein aims to refine bioactive compound extraction from seaweed while minimizing waste and environmental impact through green alternatives and innovative technologies at pilot-scale. Hussein is poised to be a driving force in offshore aquaculture innovation at BMRS.

Blanco, S.; Sapatinha, M.; Mackey, M.; Maguire, J.; Paolacci, S.; Gonçalves, S.; Lourenço, H.M.; Mendes, R.; Bandarra, N.M.; Pires, C. (2023). Effect of Deployment and Harvest Date on Growth and High-Value Compounds of Farmed Alaria esculenta. Mar. Drugs 2023, 21, 305.
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Zhu, X., Healy, L., Zhang, Z., Maguire, J., Sun, D.‐W. and Tiwari, B.K. (2021). Novel Post‐Harvest Processing Strategies for Value‐Added Applications of Marine Algae. J Sci Food Agric.
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Mateus M., Fernandes J., Revilla M., Ruiz Villarreal M., Miller P., Schmidt W., Maguire J., Silva A. and Pinto L. (2019) . Early Warning Systems for Shellfish Safety: The Pivotal Role of Computational Science.Early Warning Systems for Shellfish Safety: The Pivotal Role of Computational Science. In: Rodrigues J. et al. (eds) Computational Science – ICCS 2019. ICCS 2019. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 11539. Springer, Cham .
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Role: Macroalgal Hatchery Manager

Freddie O Mahony has more than 40 years of experience in aquaculture. She has worked in scientific and commercial facilities, including research and development. For the last 17 years, Freddie has single-handedly operated and managed a pilot-scale macroalgal hatchery in Bantry, Co.Cork Ireland. This work was funded by Bord Iascaigh Mhara. The hatchery produces over 20 km of seeded string annually for the Irish seaweed industry. Freddie has now joined the team at BMRS as a macroalgal hatchery manager. She hopes to transfer her knowledge and skills to the next generation of young algologists. Freddie will also continue her research into cultivating new species of red seaweeds.

The overarching aim of the SeaChem DN project is to provide high-level training in the offshore cultivation and valorization of seaweed to a new generation of 10 high-achieving doctoral candidates (DC) and equipping them with the transferable and scientific skills necessary for thriving careers in the burgeoning area of non-land-based biomass cultivation and use. This international training program, encompassing 6 intersectoral partners (5 academic, 2 non-academic) in 4 countries, focuses on innovative technological developments across a range of interdisciplinary fields such as construction engineering, materials science, (micro-)biology, (bio-)chemical engineering, environmental biotechnology and machine learning. The success of SeaChem will be achieved by a unique combination of state-of-the-art doctoral research projects, intersectoral secondments, international mobility and unique interdisciplinary courses.

Research objectives

• Develop new, cost-effective and sustainable offshore aquaculture technologies to be integrated in pre-existing offshore infrastructure (e.g., windfarms, uncommissioned drilling rigs) in which the durability of integrated stainless-steel structures in the highly exposed marine environment will be assessed and monitored
• Develop future-proof advanced seaweed cultivation technologies by defining current and future optimal conditions for offshore seaweedaquaculture. Geo-mappingwillbeappliedtopinpointideallygeographicallocationsforoptimumseaweedgrowthandyield
• Develop cutting-edge sustainable extraction techniques by applying intensified chemical (microwave and ultrasound) and enzymatic
  processes capable of recovering a large spectrum of high-value compounds, to be further used in high-end applications

BMRS Role

BMRS will host DC 9 who will develop sustainable procedures for the extraction of bioactive compounds from seaweed without
generating biological waste.

ULTFARMS (Circular Low Trophic Offshore Aquaculture in Wind Farms and Restoration of Marine Space) was approved under the Horizon Europe Ocean Mission call titled Lighthouse in the Baltic and the North Sea basins - Low impact marine aquaculture and multi-purpose use of marine space. ULTFARMS is a 42 months project that has started on January 1st, 2023, and ends on June 30th, 2026. It is lead by Deltares, an independent institute for water and subsurface research based in the Netherlands. The consortium of the project consists of 25 members from 9 different countries.>

ULTFARMS will bring together stakeholders from across the value chains of OWF and LTA to ensure that environmentally sound, low-carbon, and safe LTA products are produced from design to commercialization. New cultivation structures, grow-out systems, and eco-friendly design measures will be advanced through the project. Through integrated monitoring and management platforms such as the HiSea service platform and by drawing on existing open databases and operational forecasting systems such as CMEMS and SeaDATANET, the planning and operation of LTAs will be effectively supported through an enhanced technical service.

ULTFARMS will offer services to aquaculture producers for monitoring and minimizing diseases and alien species, managing inputs, optimizing sustainable production, and demand management including risk analysis. Furthermore, the project will share lessons learned and innovations developed through comprehensive communication and dissemination activities, which will be underpinned by the active involvement of five Associate Regions (ARs) throughout the project.

ULTFARMS will generate a profitable, sustainable, and ecological production chain of low- trophic level species, such as seaweed and molluscs, in offshore wind farms located in the North Sea and Baltic Sea. This project has received 9.6 million euros from the European Union's Horizon research and innovation programme and will help to boost the self- consumption of these products in Europe while reducing the carbon footprint of their production.

This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 101093888. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Juhasz-Dora T., J. Teague, T.K. Doyle and J. Maguire (2022). First record of biofluorescence in lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus), a commercially farmed cleaner fish. J. of Fish Biology. doi: 10.1111/jfb.15154.
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