Who We Are

Proudly interdisciplinary: our team is comprised of people who defiantly resist being dedicated to only one field

Our Team

Close-up of a smiling young woman with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and light skin, outdoors with green plants in the background.

Keira realised the limitations of scientific research in creating solutions during her PhD in microbiology and strongly believes in a holistic, interdisciplinary approach in solving problems. Her creative nature, passion for imparting an interest in science through establishing more exciting ways of communicating scientific principles and discoveries to the general public led her to join ASCUS in 2021. With a background in antimicrobial resistance research, both in a medical and environmental setting, her areas of expertise include antimicrobial susceptibility testing, culturing, molecular techniques, wastewater and freshwater monitoring and biofilm cultivation.

Contact Keira at: tucker@ascus.org.uk

Keira Tucker, ASCUS Manager

A young woman with light brown hair and blue eyes sitting at an outdoor table, smiling and resting her chin on her hand, wearing a black and white striped sweater and jewelry, with a blurred background of people and buildings.

Milly Kennedy, Marketing & communications coordinator

Milly is a Business student who recently joined us from Napier University, as our Marketing & Communications Coordinator at ASCUS, tasked with enhancing the organisation’s online presence, promoting events, and building partnerships to attract collaborators and lab users. She develops social media strategies, creates content, updates the website, and analyses engagement metrics. Milly also supports events, documents activities, and strengthens ASCUS’s reach through new and existing partnerships.

Contact Milly at: kennedy@ascus.org.uk

Woman with dark hair smiling, wearing a white jacket, standing outdoors at sunset with city buildings in the background.

Sanika is a synthetic biologist with a background in industrial microbiology who recently joined us as a lab technician, driven by a passion for integrating biology, engineering, automation, and art. During her Master’s, she developed expertise in microbiology, molecular biology, and cell-free systems. As an artist, she uses scientific illustration as a creative outlet to communicate science in engaging ways. At ASCUS, Sanika applies her wet lab skills to support the research of a biotech start-up, ensures the smooth maintenance and operation of the lab, and contributes to outreach activities that make ASCUS more accessible to collaborators and the public. 

Contact: Sanika at: pradhan@ascus.org.uk

Sanika Pradhan, Lab Technician

ASCUS is proud to be supported by the expertise and passion of our board of directors:

  • Black and white photo of a woman with wavy hair, wearing a coat and a knit scarf, outdoors in a natural setting.

    Miriam Walsh

    ASCUS Director

    Creative Producer & Curator

  • A black and white photo of a man with long, curly hair, a beard, and a mustache, smiling at the camera.

    James Howie

    ASCUS Director & Co-Founder

    Independent Producer & Consultant

  • A black and white portrait of a woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a sleeveless top, looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression against a dark background.

    Louise Mackenzie

    ASCUS Director

    Contemporary Visual Artist

  • A black-and-white close-up of a man with short hair, looking into the camera, indoors with a blurred background.

    Adam Purvis

    ASCUS Director

    prj-Scotland, Dark Matter Laboratories

Curious about what we do?

Browse through our our blog to get an idea of what we do and the kinds of collaborations that are possible at ASCUS

Featured
2024 Highlights
2024 Highlights

A Summary of what we got up to in 2024

2023 in a nutshell
2023 in a nutshell

A Summary of what we got up to in 2023

Photography Meets Ecology
Photography Meets Ecology

Combining nature and science with analogue photography, read about the pilot workshop Ecollaborate in collaboration with Art Walk Projects, Scott Hunter and Access to Industry

It’s the little things, innit?
It’s the little things, innit?

A summary of the second iteration of our creative learning Unearthing Microlife Programme aimed at young adults, bringing a greater appreciation to our wild spaces by looking at them under a microscopic lens.

Work With Us

Have an idea for a project, workshop, exhibition or event?