Projects per year
Personal profile
Personal Statement
I’m a Senior Lecturer in the Departments of Electronic & Electrical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering.
My research is concerned with microbial infection control, and the development of novel disinfection and sterilisation technologies for public health applications, with particular focus on healthcare-associated infections (HAI) – the most frequent adverse event in health-care delivery worldwide, with hundreds of millions of patients affected annually.
My major research focus has been on the fundamental antimicrobial effects of violet-blue light and it's development as a cutting-edge decontamination technology for a range of infection control applications.
I have a highly interdisciplinary background, with a BSc in Immunology and Microbiology (2002), and a PhD focused on the interdisciplinary development of UV and visible-light for sterilisation and infection control applications (2006), which I conducted at The Robertson Trust Laboratory for Electronic Sterilisation Technologies (ROLEST), at Strathclyde. After completion of my PhD I continued my research at ROLEST where I worked as a Research Fellow. In 2014, I was appointed as a Lecturer through a Strathclyde Chancellors Fellowship, and I was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2017. I have more than 70 publications, including journals, conference proceedings and presentations at scientific and medical conferences, and also have a growing IP portfolio.
Expertise & Capabilities
- applied microbiology
- microbial inactivation
- decontamination and sterilisation
- infection control
Research Interests
I am based in The Robertson Trust Laboratory for Electronic Sterilisation Technologies (ROLEST), in the Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering, and my research is focused on the development of novel disinfection and infection control intervention technologies for public health applications, including prevention of healthcare and food/waterborne infections.
The majority of my research to date has focused on investigations into the fundamental antimicrobial effects of 405 nm high-intensity narrow-spectrum (HINS) light. Research has focused on determining antimicrobial sensitivity, wavelength sensitivity and the mechanism of inactivation. Much work has been focused on establishing the effects of this antimicrobial light against key pathogens including MRSA and Clostridium difficile, and I am involved in the investigation and development of this light technology for a range of disinfection applications.
One such example of this is the development of the HINS-light Environmental Decontamination System (EDS), a novel visible light system for continuous disinfection of occupied environments such as hospital isolation rooms. This research project was awarded the Times Higher Education Award for ‘Research Project of the Year’ in 2011.
I am also involved in the development of a number of other electro-technologies for development towards disinfection and sterilisation applications, including ultraviolet light, pulsed electric fields, oxidative corona and plasma technologies, and ozone.
Teaching Interests
I teach on a variety of modules in the Biomedical Engineering Department:
BE919 Research Methodology
BE428 Research Methods in Biomedical Engineering
BE207 Human Cell Biology 2
BE915 Medical Science for Engineering (Haematology and Immunology lectures)
BE101 Biomedical Engineering (sterilisation of devices lecture)
BE901 Regenerative Medicine & Tissue Engineering (sterilisation and decontamination lecture)
I also supervise a range of interdisciplinary students (EEE, BME, SIPBS) for their undergraduate and postgraduate research projects.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
Doctor of Philosophy, An Investigation into the Light Inactivation of Medically Important Microorganisms, University of Strathclyde
Award Date: 1 Nov 2006
Bachelor of Science, Immunology and Microbiology, University of Strathclyde
Award Date: 1 Jul 2002
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
-
EPSRC IAA: Harnessing the Power of Violet-Blue Light for Pathogen Reduction of Blood Transfusion Products
Griffin, D. (Researcher) & Maclean, M. (Principal Investigator)
1/09/24 → 31/08/25
Project: Internally funded project
-
EPSRC IAA: Harnessing the Power of Violet-Blue Light for Pathogen Reduction of Blood Transfusion Products
Maclean, M. (Co-investigator)
EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council)
1/04/22 → 31/03/26
Project: Research - Internally Allocated
-
A polyphenol-based hydrogel for enabling enhanced metal ion sorption, antimicrobial activity, and water remediation
Jawed, A., Rizvi, A., Çitoğlu, S., Azeem, I., Maclean, M., Golder, A. K., Pandey, L. M., Duran, H., Davidson, C. M. & Lau, K. H. A., 6 May 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering. 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
405 nm violet-blue light inactivates hepatitis C cell culture virus (HCVcc) in ex vivo human platelet concentrates and plasma
Jackson, J., Kaldhone, P., Stewart, C. F., Anderson, J., MacGregor, S., Maclean, M., Major, M. & Atreya, C., 28 Dec 2024, In: Scientific Reports. 14, 1, 31540.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile3 Downloads (Pure)
Datasets
-
Data for: "Viricidal Efficacy of a 405-nm Environmental Decontamination System for Inactivation of Bacteriophage Phi6: Surrogate for SARS-CoV-2"
Sinclair, L. (Creator) & Maclean, M. (Creator), University of Strathclyde, 3 Mar 2023
DOI: 10.15129/2d8a231a-84de-40bf-9345-b907c67affc6
Dataset
-
Data for: "Microbial Reduction of Prebagged Human Plasma using 405nm Light and its effects on Coagulation Factors".
Stewart, C. F. (Creator) & Maclean, M. (Creator), University of Strathclyde, 4 Jun 2024
DOI: 10.15129/83df4ab2-e0cb-40ff-8ebb-62792a31c16d
Dataset
Prizes
-
Research Project of the Year
MacLean, M. (Recipient), MacGregor, S. (Recipient), Anderson, J. (Recipient) & Woolsey, G. (Recipient), 2011
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Activities
- 1 Examination
-
PhD External Examiner
MacLean, M. (External Examiner)
11 Jan 2017Activity: Examination types › Examination