Dr Vicky Sleight
Senior Lecturer in Marine Biology
Vicky is in love with evolution and development – aka “evo-devo”. Through a range of undergraduate, postgraduate and postdoctoral experiences she found her way to marine invertebrates and seashells as an inspiring and powerful system to understand fundamental questions in animal evolution and development. Vicky earned a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Marine Biology from the University of Plymouth and a Ph.D. in Marine Biology from Heriot-Watt University and the British Antarctic Survey. She held a Junior Research Fellowship from Wolfson College in the Department of Zoology at University of Cambridge (2017-2020) and two Whitman Center Fellowships at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, USA (summers 2018 & 2019).
In 2020 Vicky joined the University of Aberdeen in northeast Scotland where she and her group are currently based.
PhD Students:
Camilo Muñoz Schuler
Camilo is a PhD student on the EASTBIO DLA, his research focuses on unravelling haematopoiesis in molluscs using single-cell RNA sequencing. Camilo uses the gastropod Crepidula fornicata as a system to elucidate the connection between haemocytes and biomineralization during developmental stages. Camilo obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Concepcion (Chile) and during his thesis he studied different aspects of biomineralization in the bivalve Crassostrea gigas. Following graduation, he worked as a research assistant/lab manager in an environmental microbiology lab at University of Concepcion in 2022 and as a technician in an electron microscopy facility at Pontifical Catholic University of Chile in 2023.
Outside of the lab Camilo enjoys football and the dynamic process of pizza making.
Lucy Belmont
Lucy is a PhD student on the QUADRAT DTP. Prior to joining the lab, she developed an interest in endocrinology, development and conservation through her initial study and work in animal care. As an undergraduate, she found her academic niche in research and malacology. Now in the Sleight Lab, Lucy is using Crepidula fornicata as a developmental model system to characterise the development of the endocrine and neuroendocrine system in gastropods.
Beyond her PhD, Lucy enjoys listening to science podcasts, bird watching and cooking.
Jonathan Davies
Coming soon…
Nathaniel Crook
Nathaniel is a PhD student based primarily at the Scottish Oceans Institute at the University of St Andrews with primary supervisor Dr Carmel McDougall. His research focuses on how seashells get their stripes, in particular molecular mechanisms of shell patterning in the blue-ray limpet Patella pellucida. His current work integrates cellular, molecular and experimental techniques to gain a multi-scale view of molluscan shell patterning.
In his Marine Biology BSc(Hons) at the University of Aberdeen, Nathaniel completed an exchange year at the University of Calgary, and was involved projects ranging from building Scottish seagrass DNA barcode libraries to exploring epigenetic mechanisms of slime moulds and anemones.
Outside of research Nathaniel, is an avid diver across Scottish coasts.
Research Assistants & Technicians:
BSU Animal Technicians
The Sleight Lab is very grateful for the University of Aberdeen team of technicians from the Biological Services Unit (BSU) who look after the aquarium!
Undergraduate & Masters Project Students:
Jesse Kritzinger (Hons student)
Jesse is an undergraduate Hons project student studying for a degree in marine biology. He has a longstanding interest in marine molluscs and, as a result of his studies in Aberdeen, a deepening interest in genomics and transcriptomics. Jesse is excited for new technologies in genetic research. For his honours project, Jesse is investigating spermatogenesis in the sequential hermaphrodite gastropod, Crepidula fornicata.
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Sophie Kinnear (Hons student)
Sophie is an undergraduate Hons project student studying for a degree in zoology. In the Sleight Lab, her project is investigating the development of sexual appendages in the sequential hermaphrodite gastropod, Crepidula fornicata. Sophie’s main aspirations are in marine conservation (specifically shark conservation) and she believes a clearer understanding of developmental biology will be poignant in influencing future conservation strategies. Sophie plans to pursue a career in research.
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Post-Docs
Past members:
Dr Danielle Jordan (2021 – 2025 PhD student, EASTBIO DTP)
Danielle was the first PhD student in the lab and led the development of our CRISPR/Cas9 knockout pipeline. She is now working at Brown University Health as a Developmental Technologist in microbiology.
Dr Angus Taylor (2021 – 2025 PhD student, SUPER DTP)
Angus was based at SAMS/UHI for his PhD but visited us regularly to conduct histological characterisations of regenerating urchin tube feet under climate change scenarios. He is now working at Scottish Sea Farms as a Fish Health Specialist.
Dr Molly Rivers (2022 – 2025 PhD student, SUPER DTP)
Molly led a comparative evo-devo project in the lab and was also responsible for the groups data management and curation. She is now working here at the University of Aberdeen as a Data Co-ordinator in health sciences.
Sophie Kinnear (2025 – Hons project student)
Jesse Kritzinger (2025 – Hons project student)
Caitlyn Passmore (2024 – Hons project student)
Matthew Tait (2024 – Hons project student)
Lucy Belmont (2023 – Hons project student), now PhD student in the lab.
Keira Malham (2023 – Hons project student) now MSc student at the University of Glasgow, studying Stem Cell Engineering for Regenerative Medicine.
Sarah Jansen (2023 – Hons project student) now on the Sampling Team a the Naturalis Biodiversity Center ARISE project.
Parisa Kanipour (2023 – MSc project student)
Namitha Paul (2022 – MSc project student)
Kathleen Reynolds (2022 – MSc project student), now Regional Support for Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks
Dr Kaja Kostanjevec (2021 – Research Assistant, ACME & scRNAseq), now post-doc in the Collinson Lab
Kallen Sullivan (2021 – MSc project student), now PhD student with Tim Bean on the EASTBIO DTP programme
Eilidh Player (2021 – MSc project student), now technician in the Microscopy and Histology core facility in the University of Aberdeen
Sofia Varvaresou (2021 – Hons project student), now MSc student at the University of Sheffield, studying Reproductive and Developmental Medicine
Rory Hutchenson (2020 – Hons project student)