Linda Lawton

Linda Lawton, Ph.D., FRSE is a Scottish researcher in microcystins and toxins produced by cyanobacteria and has researched into the impact of the so-called 'blue-green algae" from drinking water supply.^[1] Her detection method is now used worldwide^[2] and was used by the World Health Organization to develop drinking water safety standards,^[2] scientists are trained in it from Sri Lanka to fish farms in Scotland, and Lawton is investigating potential cancer treatments^[3] and positive uses such as digesting waste plastics in microbiology.^[4] She was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2021.^[5] Lawton is Professor of Environmental Biology at the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen.^[2]

Lawton studied Brewing and Microbiology and Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh and began her academic career in microbiology in the 1980s at the University of Surrey Center for Environmental Strategy.^[6] She then worked at Dundee University, for seven years and also obtained her PhD on "biological effects & significance of cyanobacterial peptide toxins", bringing a focus on cyanobacteria for the past 30 years. She became group research leader at Robert Gordon University (RGU) Aberdeen in 1994, and Full Professor in 2007,^[2] and is widely cited^[7][8] with substantial network of international collaborators including commercial partnerships.^[1] She lives in Stonehaven.^[1]

Lawton's research group investigates cyanobacteria and algae and water treatment, photocatalysis and novel biofuels. She has 159 publications to date with 5985 citations,^[6] and has been invited to write book chapters and present to learned societies and research conferences globally.^[2] Lawton's research has been reported both in local press^[3][9] and nationally recognised in a political magazine as leading one of the breakthrough projects in Scotland,^[10] and also gave 'fun' science communications on biochemistry.^[11]

Her formal list of research funding awards which is estimated to be over £10million to date,^[2] and publications are on Orcid^[7] or Researchgate^[6] A recent £1.4million collaboration with Queen's Belfast and St. Andrew's colleagues, under the banner of CyanoSol is looking at "in reservoir destruction of blue-green algae and their toxins".^[12]