André Gillon Email & Phone Number

United Kingdom

Barcaldine, Scotland, United Kingdom

My main role was to supervise and delegate daily tasks on-site to all hatchery technicians to ensure the proper running of the recirculation system and to meet the production targets.

Common daily tasks include assessing fish appetite, growth, and welfare; water quality monitoring, feed/chemical stock take, data input/management, maintenance and troubleshooting of the entire recirculation system, training new employees, among others.

I also was part of the lead team on all operations such as egg intake, thinning, grading, vaccination and transports.

Worked many night shifts and weekends as part of the on-call team. Also went through various training, including a forklift telescopic handler course, confined space, working at heights, and other courses regarding the health and safety of staff in the workplace.

-Developed an In-Vivo bioassay using 6-well plates to study the impact of early life stress on larval development and gene expression related to the regulation of stress response in Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata).-Gained practical knowledge and experience from working on a research RAS facility (Hellenic Centre for Marine Research) including handling of broodstock, eggs, fish larvae and fry.

During my Master's degree, I worked in the Fish Physiology Laboratory, led by Prof. Michalis Pavlidis, where I performed various techniques involved in the study of gene expression concerning the Teleostean HPI axis, related to stress regulation and environmental adaptation.

These techniques included:
-Sample collection and storage
-RNA extraction and quantification
-cDNA library generation
-Gel electrophoresis
-Semiquantitative and Real-time qPCR

I also conducted broodstock husbandry, breeding and larval rearing of Zebrafish in the laboratory’s animal facility.

Ponta Delgada, Azores

- Skipper services to local diving spots and Customer guidance on local marine species- Customer service, intern supervision, company website development- Handling, maintenance and cleaning of diving equipment- Networking, Sales & Advertisement of company services in boot Düsseldorf 2016 (23.01.2016 - 31.01.2016) Website: https://www.seasonchallenge.pt/en/

Açores, Portugal

Research assistant in the Project ASMAS ("Açores: Stop-over for Marine Alien Species?") and a follow-up project PIMA (“Implementation Program for the Board-Directive of Marine Strategy: Marine Invasives in the Azores”), which aimed to assess and report the marine non-indigenous species occurring in the Azores Archipelago, and study the conditions of the marine environment in the Azores towards minimizing the impacts related to the occurrence of these species.- Conducted a detailed taxonomical study of the amphipod family (Caprellidae) specimens collected from various sites in São Miguel Island and performed an experiment to study the reproductive cycle of a highly invasive bryozoan species, Amathia verticillata.- Wrote and published two peer-reviewed articles in international scientific journals, presented a poster during a Seminar in the University of the Azores, and issued a report describing the main results of Project PIMA to assist policy makers with the mitigation and prevention of non-indigenous species colonization.

Lisbon Area, Portugal

- Performed several maintenance and husbandry routine activities (feeding, cleaning & water quality analysis) ensuring the proper functioning of the aquariums and welfare of aquatic organisms in captivity.- During this time I gained understanding and practical knowledge of the different aquarium systems, nitrogen cycle and basic water chemistry/physical parameters, performing daily readings of temperature, oxygen, ammonia, nitrite, pH, oxygen and salinity.

Master'S Degree, Aquaculture

Erasmus Mundus Joint Master degree in Aquaculture, Environment and Society. 2nd Semester: University of Crete (Finfish Aquaculture)

Master’S Degree, Aquaculture

Full scholarship awarded student in the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master degree in Aquaculture, Environment and Society.

Master'S Degree, Aquaculture

Erasmus Mundus Joint Master degree in Aquaculture, Environment and Society. 3rd Semester: University of Nantes (Shellfish Aquaculture)

Bachelor’S Degree, Biology (Specialization: Marine Biology)

- Three years of biology coursework covering a wide range of scientific fields with an emphasis on marine biology during the last year. I.