Rate My Professor Blair Thomson

Dr Blair Thomson is affiliated with the Department of Marine Science in the Division of Sciences at the University of Otago. He holds multiple roles including Laboratory Technician, Assistant Research Fellow for the ECan Project, and Research Assistant for the CPSS Paua project, based at the Portobello Marine Laboratory, 185 Hatchery Road, Portobello, Dunedin (Room 211, Mondays and Thursdays). Thomson completed his PhD at the University of Otago, investigating microbial extracellular enzymes and the biogeochemical cycling of phosphorus in the marine environment. His doctoral studies were supported by a University of Otago Doctoral Scholarship under the supervision of Professor Chris Hepburn.

Thomson's research specializations lie in marine microbial ecology, encompassing prokaryotic community linkages between surface and deep ocean waters, enzyme promiscuity such as alkaline phosphatase in ocean environments, microbial rhodopsins in high nutrient low chlorophyll waters, relative importance of phosphodiesterase versus phosphomonoesterase activities for dissolved organic phosphorus hydrolysis in epi- and mesopelagic waters, nitrifying archaea sustaining microbial communities below the Ross Ice Shelf, nitrogen cycling and extracellular enzyme activity influenced by organic detritus sources and bivalve biomass in estuary sediments, continuous cell-free alkaline phosphatase activity despite high phosphate concentrations, different size pools of extracellular enzymatic activity in the ocean, specific effects of trace metals like iron and zinc on marine heterotrophic microbial activity and diversity including hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria, and temperature and UV light effects on marine cell-free enzymes. Key publications include "Phylogenetically and functionally diverse microorganisms reside under the Ross Ice Shelf" (2022), "Seasonal Prokaryotic Community Linkages Between Surface and Deep Ocean Water" (2021), "Enzyme promiscuity in natural environments: alkaline phosphatase in the ocean" (2021), "Microbial rhodopsins are increasingly favoured over chlorophyll in High Nutrient Low Chlorophyll waters" (2021), "Relative Importance of Phosphodiesterase vs. Phosphomonoesterase (Alkaline Phosphatase) Activities for Dissolved Organic Phosphorus Hydrolysis in Epi- and Mesopelagic Waters" (2020), "Lifting the Lid: Nitrifying Archaea Sustain Diverse Microbial Communities Below the Ross Ice Shelf" (2020), "Specific Effect of Trace Metals on Marine Heterotrophic Microbial Activity and Diversity: Key Role of Iron and Zinc and Hydrocarbon-Degrading Bacteria" (2018), and "Temperature and UV light affect the activity of marine cell-free enzymes" (2017). These works have collectively received over 290 citations.