Professor Alex J. Poulton (Research Group P.I.)
Alex arrived at Heriot-Watt University in Spring 2017 and establish the Ocean CANDY group to reflect his research interests in “how ocean biology cycles the elements essential for life”. Alex actively collaborates with ocean modellers and paleo-oceanographers, enjoying applying modern understanding of plankton ecology to the fossil record (something he describes as “swimming with dinosaurs”). Much of Alex’s current research focuses on the wider goal of “recognising the role of biology in the carbonate counter pump” in terms of CaCO3 production and loss processes in the ocean and how these influence air-sea CO2 fluxes and the ability of the ocean to store atmospheric CO2.
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Alex arrived at Heriot-Watt University in Spring 2017 and establish the Ocean CANDY group to reflect his research interests in “how ocean biology cycles the elements essential for life”. Alex actively collaborates with ocean modellers and paleo-oceanographers, enjoying applying modern understanding of plankton ecology to the fossil record (something he describes as “swimming with dinosaurs”). Much of Alex’s current research focuses on the wider goal of “recognising the role of biology in the carbonate counter pump” in terms of CaCO3 production and loss processes in the ocean and how these influence air-sea CO2 fluxes and the ability of the ocean to store atmospheric CO2.
LinkedIn | Google Scholar
Nichole Marsh (Data Manager)
Nichole joined the Ocean CANDY group in May 2024 as a Data/Project Manager. Nichole works on the BIO-Carbon/CHALKY, OceanICU, and CoccoTrait projects. In addition to marine research cruise data management, Nichole creates databases from past cruise data. These data are used for analysis and modelling to better understand the factors influencing the global marine carbon cycle. Nichole has spent many years in industry, working and living in Europe and The Americas. She completed her MSc in Marine Science at Heriot-Watt in 2024.
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Nichole joined the Ocean CANDY group in May 2024 as a Data/Project Manager. Nichole works on the BIO-Carbon/CHALKY, OceanICU, and CoccoTrait projects. In addition to marine research cruise data management, Nichole creates databases from past cruise data. These data are used for analysis and modelling to better understand the factors influencing the global marine carbon cycle. Nichole has spent many years in industry, working and living in Europe and The Americas. She completed her MSc in Marine Science at Heriot-Watt in 2024.
Dr Sarah E. Cryer (CHALKY Post Doctoral Research Associate)
Sarah joined the OceanCANDY group in October 2024 as a PDRA working on the BIO-Carbon CHALKY project. Sarah is investigating coccolithophore physiology during bloom conditions in the Icelandic Basin and then aims to investigate the role of coccolithophores on ocean alkalinity. Prior to joining the group, Sarah worked as a Marine Environmental Science at Fugro, having completed his PhD in Coastal Biogeochemistry at the University of Southampton in 2023. Sarah is an advocate for early careers and is currently co-chair of BIO-Carbon ECOP Network, Social Media Manager for GOA-ON ECOP Network ICONEC, ECR Rep for Joint BIO-Carbon and MASTS Data Workshop, runs the Lyell ECR Journal Club with Ben G, and sits on the MASTS Biogeochemistry Forum.
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Sarah joined the OceanCANDY group in October 2024 as a PDRA working on the BIO-Carbon CHALKY project. Sarah is investigating coccolithophore physiology during bloom conditions in the Icelandic Basin and then aims to investigate the role of coccolithophores on ocean alkalinity. Prior to joining the group, Sarah worked as a Marine Environmental Science at Fugro, having completed his PhD in Coastal Biogeochemistry at the University of Southampton in 2023. Sarah is an advocate for early careers and is currently co-chair of BIO-Carbon ECOP Network, Social Media Manager for GOA-ON ECOP Network ICONEC, ECR Rep for Joint BIO-Carbon and MASTS Data Workshop, runs the Lyell ECR Journal Club with Ben G, and sits on the MASTS Biogeochemistry Forum.
LinkedIn | Blue Sky | Google Scholar
Dr Ben Fisher (CarTRidge Post Doctoral Research Associate)
Ben joined the OceanCANDY group in January 2025 as a PDRA working on the CarTRidge project. Ben is investigating differences in phytoplankton community structure and biogeochemical rates across the Subtropical mid-Atlantic ridge. Prior to joining the group, Ben undertook a Research & Development Fellowship in DEFRA, having completed his PhD in Polar Biogeochemistry at the University of Edinburgh in 2024.
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Ben joined the OceanCANDY group in January 2025 as a PDRA working on the CarTRidge project. Ben is investigating differences in phytoplankton community structure and biogeochemical rates across the Subtropical mid-Atlantic ridge. Prior to joining the group, Ben undertook a Research & Development Fellowship in DEFRA, having completed his PhD in Polar Biogeochemistry at the University of Edinburgh in 2024.
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Ben Gustafson (PhD Student)
Ben joined the OceanCANDY group in January 2024 as a PhD student on the OceanICU project. Ben is working to evaluate the knowledge gaps in inorganic carbon stocks, production, and export to the deep sea for all pelagic calcifiers, including coccolithophores, pteropods, foraminifera, and fish. Before he joined OceanCANDY, Ben worked at the Estuary and Ocean Science Centre, San Francisco State University as a research technician.
LinkedIn | Blue Sky
Ben joined the OceanCANDY group in January 2024 as a PhD student on the OceanICU project. Ben is working to evaluate the knowledge gaps in inorganic carbon stocks, production, and export to the deep sea for all pelagic calcifiers, including coccolithophores, pteropods, foraminifera, and fish. Before he joined OceanCANDY, Ben worked at the Estuary and Ocean Science Centre, San Francisco State University as a research technician.
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Aditya Kapuriya (PhD Student)
Aditya joined the OceanCANDY group in September 2024 as a PhD student. His PhD work integrates aspects for several projects, including BIO-Carbon CHALKY, OceanICU, CoccoTrait, and C-Trawl. Aditya is investigating different biological and chemical drivers responsible for the dissolution of calcium carbonate. Prior to joining the group Aditya worked as a project associate at the CSIR-National institute of Oceanography, India having completed his MSc in Marine Sciences at the Goa University, India in 2023.
LinkedIn | Google Scholar
Aditya joined the OceanCANDY group in September 2024 as a PhD student. His PhD work integrates aspects for several projects, including BIO-Carbon CHALKY, OceanICU, CoccoTrait, and C-Trawl. Aditya is investigating different biological and chemical drivers responsible for the dissolution of calcium carbonate. Prior to joining the group Aditya worked as a project associate at the CSIR-National institute of Oceanography, India having completed his MSc in Marine Sciences at the Goa University, India in 2023.
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Visiting Researchers
Dr Lewis Wrightson (Visiting Post Doctoral Research Associate)
Postdoctoral research associate at the University of Liverpool investigating the impact of temperature on marine microbes through Ocean Biogeochemical Modelling. My PhD work investigated the impact of a changing climate on marine diazotrophy through the design of a new explicit diazotroph compartment for the PISCES QUOTA Earth System Model.
Postdoctoral research associate at the University of Liverpool investigating the impact of temperature on marine microbes through Ocean Biogeochemical Modelling. My PhD work investigated the impact of a changing climate on marine diazotrophy through the design of a new explicit diazotroph compartment for the PISCES QUOTA Earth System Model.
Florine Hudell (Intern)
Florine is joining the OceanCandy group as an intern from September to November 2025, as part of an international program linked to the Agro-Institut in France (Rennes), where she studies. She is currently pursuing an engineering degree in agronomy, specialising in Biodiversity, Ecology, and Evolution (IMABEE). During her internship, she will work across the different projects including CHALKY, OceanICU and CarTRidge and learn about plankton ecology and marine science, while also expanding her knowledge in taxonomy and species identification. This internship offers her the opportunity to strengthen her laboratory skills and acquire new technical competencies.
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Florine is joining the OceanCandy group as an intern from September to November 2025, as part of an international program linked to the Agro-Institut in France (Rennes), where she studies. She is currently pursuing an engineering degree in agronomy, specialising in Biodiversity, Ecology, and Evolution (IMABEE). During her internship, she will work across the different projects including CHALKY, OceanICU and CarTRidge and learn about plankton ecology and marine science, while also expanding her knowledge in taxonomy and species identification. This internship offers her the opportunity to strengthen her laboratory skills and acquire new technical competencies.
Arianwen Herbert (Visiting PhD Student)
Arianwen is a visiting scholar from the University of Oxford where she is a second year PhD student with the BBSRC Interdisciplinary Bioscience DTP. Arianwen works between the departments of Earth Sciences and Biology, using an integrated field and lab approach to investigate marine picoeukaryote evolution and adaptation to life in oligotrophic gyres. Ari conducted her PhD fieldwork on research cruise JC275 (CarTRidge, Feb-Mar 2025) with Alex and Ben F, where they collected samples to investigate the response of the plankton community to changing nutrients, mixing and light levels over the mid-Atlantic ridge in the south Atlantic ocean. During her time at Heriot-Watt, Ari and Ben will be working together to analyse flow cytometry samples collected from the south Atlantic subtropical gyre, investigating community response over depth and longitudinal gradients.
Ari shares a lot of her work on Instagram and provides a great insight into life as a PhD student / ocean scientist: @scienceformymum
LinkedIn | Blue Sky | Oxford Profile
Arianwen is a visiting scholar from the University of Oxford where she is a second year PhD student with the BBSRC Interdisciplinary Bioscience DTP. Arianwen works between the departments of Earth Sciences and Biology, using an integrated field and lab approach to investigate marine picoeukaryote evolution and adaptation to life in oligotrophic gyres. Ari conducted her PhD fieldwork on research cruise JC275 (CarTRidge, Feb-Mar 2025) with Alex and Ben F, where they collected samples to investigate the response of the plankton community to changing nutrients, mixing and light levels over the mid-Atlantic ridge in the south Atlantic ocean. During her time at Heriot-Watt, Ari and Ben will be working together to analyse flow cytometry samples collected from the south Atlantic subtropical gyre, investigating community response over depth and longitudinal gradients.
Ari shares a lot of her work on Instagram and provides a great insight into life as a PhD student / ocean scientist: @scienceformymum
LinkedIn | Blue Sky | Oxford Profile
Student Projects
Angeliki Alvano (MSc Student)
Angeliki joined the Ocean CANDY group in January 2025 as an MSc Project Researcher. For her thesis she is examining flow cytometry data from the DY180 cruise in the Icelandic Basin investigating plankton community structure (diatoms and microzooplankton). Angeliki comes from a business background and works as a data analyst. Driven by her interest in biology, she completed a BSc in Natural Sciences (Biology) from the Open University in 2022 and is on track to obtain her MSc in Marine Science from Heriot-Watt University in early 2026. She also participated in the Delve Deeper programme from the University of Newcastle in 2024.
LinkedIn
Angeliki joined the Ocean CANDY group in January 2025 as an MSc Project Researcher. For her thesis she is examining flow cytometry data from the DY180 cruise in the Icelandic Basin investigating plankton community structure (diatoms and microzooplankton). Angeliki comes from a business background and works as a data analyst. Driven by her interest in biology, she completed a BSc in Natural Sciences (Biology) from the Open University in 2022 and is on track to obtain her MSc in Marine Science from Heriot-Watt University in early 2026. She also participated in the Delve Deeper programme from the University of Newcastle in 2024.
Past Members
Dr Sixolile Mazwane (Visiting Post Doctoral Research Associate)
Sixolile visited the Ocean CANDY Research group from June to July 2025 to run samples on the FlowCam. She is a biological oceanographer doing a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Nelson Mandela University, part of the Ocean Science & Marine Food Security Group. Her current project focuses on understanding the phytoplankton primary production and community composition of the Agulhas Bank Shelf along the Southern coast of South Africa. The main goal is to develop a time series of the plankton community and understand how climate change is influencing this community, and in turn how this impacts higher trophic levels.
LinkedIn | Research Gate
Sixolile visited the Ocean CANDY Research group from June to July 2025 to run samples on the FlowCam. She is a biological oceanographer doing a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Nelson Mandela University, part of the Ocean Science & Marine Food Security Group. Her current project focuses on understanding the phytoplankton primary production and community composition of the Agulhas Bank Shelf along the Southern coast of South Africa. The main goal is to develop a time series of the plankton community and understand how climate change is influencing this community, and in turn how this impacts higher trophic levels.
LinkedIn | Research Gate
Dr Miriam Seifert (Visiting Post Doctoral Research Associate)
Miriam visited the OceanCANDY group between January and June 2025 with a postdoctoral fellowship of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). She is an ocean biogeochemistry modeler and marine biologist. In her fellowship project, Miriam worked on the representation of plankton calcifiers and calcium carbonate dissolution in the ocean biogeochemistry model REcoM, ultimately deriving a better description of the carbonate pump in the global ocean.
Miriam is now undertaking a fellowship back in Germany.
Miriam visited the OceanCANDY group between January and June 2025 with a postdoctoral fellowship of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). She is an ocean biogeochemistry modeler and marine biologist. In her fellowship project, Miriam worked on the representation of plankton calcifiers and calcium carbonate dissolution in the ocean biogeochemistry model REcoM, ultimately deriving a better description of the carbonate pump in the global ocean.
Miriam is now undertaking a fellowship back in Germany.