Anson W. Mackay

Anson Mackay
Born1967
Tongue, Scotland
Alma materUniversity of Edinburgh (BSc)
University of Manchester (PhD)
Known forFreshwater ecology
SpouseDavid Adger
Scientific career
InstitutionsUniversity College London

Anson W. Mackay is an emeritus Professor of Geography in the Environmental Change Research Centre at University College London, having retired in April 2022 because of ill health.[1] They work on the impact of climate change on freshwater ecosystems. Mackay was editor-in-chief of the Royal Geographical Society journal Geo: Geography and Environment (2015-20) and is on the board of the South African Geographical Journal.[2]

Life and education

Mackay was born to crofters in the village of Tongue on the north coast of Scotland.[3] They studied Biological Science at the University of Edinburgh and graduated in 1989. They moved to Manchester for their doctorate, and earned a PhD in palaeoecology in 1993. They were appointed a Leverhulme fellow at University College London.[1]

While at Edinburgh, Mackay came out as gay and began a relationship with David Adger, who they are still with.[4] Since 2022 Mackay has identified as non-binary. They are a keen and regular runner of marathons and ultramarathons,[5] despite having stage-4 HPV-related cancer.[6][7]

Research and career

Mackay was appointed a lecturer at University College London in 2000 and promoted to Professor in 2013. They have extensively investigated the impact of pollution on Lake Baikal, as well as the Aral Sea and Okavango Delta.[8]

They have reconstructed the climate history of Lake Baikal for the past 800,000 years.[9] Lake Baikal is the world's deepest and oldest lake, and is home to one fifth of the world's fresh water.[10] Over 75% of the species exist nowhere else in the world.[10] Mackay has studied the numbers of the microalgae diatoms in Lake Baikal, and showed that they have declined as the lake gets warmer.[10][11] Some diatoms are more sensitive than others, which lets Mackay and colleagues look at the impact of pollution in the past.[12] They study the populations of diatoms by studying silicon isotopes, which form the base of the diatom food chain.[12] Mackay believes that the water quality has deteriorated due to inadequate sewage treatment.[10] Additionally, the nearby Baikal Paper and Pulp Mill generates sulphates, organic chlorine and hundreds of thousands of tonnes of bleached pulp, which make their way into the lake.[12][13] Mackay has shown that these changes have also impacted phytoplankton and zooplankton.

Prizes

UCL Inclusion Awards: Sir Stephen Ward 'Inspiring Role Model' and EDI Team Award for 'Inspirational Engagement' (2022)[14]

Royal Geographical Society's Victoria Medal (2023) for 'their transformative impact on the discipline of geography'.[15]

Academic service

Mackay was editor-in-chief of the Royal Geographical Society journal Geo: Geography and Environment (2015-20) and sat on the board of Open Quaternary.[16] They have written for The Conversation.[17] They have been nominated for Student Choice awards, including Inspiring Teaching, Equality & Diversity and Exceptional Feedback.[18][19] In 2017 Mackay established the LGBTQ+ network Out Geography.[20][21] They are part of the network 500 Queer Scientists, and has been part of a successful parliamentary inquiry into the impact of scientific funding on equality and diversity.[22][23]

Books

Mackay, Anson (2014). Global Change in the Holocene. Routledge. pp. 2019–07–04. ISBN 978-0340812143.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Anson Mackay". UCL Department of Geography. 7 December 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  2. ^ "South African Geographical Journal: Editorial board". Taylor&Francis Online. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  3. ^ UCL (1 April 2019). "We Are Out@UCL - Anson Mackay". Office of the President and Provost (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion). Retrieved 4 July 2019.[permanent dead link‍]
  4. ^ Mackay, Anson (29 June 2023). "I'd tell my younger self that my chequered past would be my strength". Times Higher Education: Campus. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  5. ^ Mackay, Anson (25 January 2024). "Cancer and the 'Challenger Celebration'". uclgeography. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  6. ^ "Anson Mackay". 500 Queer Scientists. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  7. ^ Mackay, Anson (21 September 2021). "Here we go again..." uclgeography. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  8. ^ "IRIS Prof Anson Mackay". IRIS UCL. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  9. ^ Mackay, Anson W. (1 June 2007). "The paleoclimatology of Lake Baikal: A diatom synthesis and prospectus". Earth-Science Reviews. 82 (3): 181–215. Bibcode:2007ESRv...82..181M. doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2007.03.002. ISSN 0012-8252.
  10. ^ a b c d "Climate change is putting wildlife at risk in the world's oldest lake". EurekAlert!. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  11. ^ "Climate change is putting wildlife at risk in the world's oldest lake - The University of Nottingham". www.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  12. ^ a b c "How is pollution changing Lake Baikal? | EarthSky.org". earthsky.org. 5 October 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  13. ^ Bland, Stephen M. (7 December 2015). "Earth's Deepest Lake Is 'Seriously Ill'". Vice. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  14. ^ "UCL Inclusion Awards - Winners 2022". UCL: Office of the President and Provost (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion). 13 July 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  15. ^ "2023 Awards". Royal Geographical Society.
  16. ^ "Open Quaternary". www.openquaternary.com. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  17. ^ "Staff | Geography | University of Exeter". geography.exeter.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  18. ^ "Anson Mackay wins UCL Student Choice Award". UCL Department of Geography. 16 July 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  19. ^ "Celebrating UCL Geography teaching". UCL Department of Geography. 24 June 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  20. ^ "LGBTQ+". UCL Department of Geography. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  21. ^ ""People perform better when they can be themselves" Stonewall". UCL Geography Blog. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  22. ^ "Fullscreen Page | 500 Queer Scientists | Stories". 500 Queer Scientists. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  23. ^ "UCL backs inquiry into diversity in STEM". Science|Business. Retrieved 4 July 2019.