Katrina Campbell is a Professor in Food Security and heads the Biosensors Strand within the Centre for ASsured, SafE and Traceable food (ASSET). Katrina is a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Institute of Biology, Irish Toxicology Society and International Society for the study of harmful algae. Katrina obtained a BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry in 1995 and a MMedSc in Ultrastructural Anatomy and Pathology in 1996 from Queen's University Belfast.  After a year employed at Randox Laboratories in the development of clinical diagnostic test kits she returned to Queen's University where she completed her Galen sponsored PhD in Pharmacy focusing on novel systems for transdermal drug delivery.

From 2000 to 2012 she was employed as a post-doctoral research fellow for Queen's University during which time she was actively involved in all island initiatives sponsored by Safefood and collaborations of multi-centre EU research projects such as BioCop, Conffidence (http://www.conffidence.eu/), Midtal (http://www.midtal.com/) and Atlantox (http://www.atlantox.com/) aimed at developing innovative screening methods for the detection of chemical contaminants and toxins in food, animal feeds and the environment. She has extensive experience in bioanalytical method development, validation and evaluation with state of the art technologies, end product formation as kits and technology transfer workshops and events for dissemination.

Her research focuses on the identification and recognition of known and emerging threats within the entire food supply chain from “environment to farm to fork” and to determine their consequential effects. She designs biosensor based screening methods, for the rapid remote detection of toxins, chemical contaminants and harmful organisms, as a tool to enhance food safety and sustainability. She has over 12 years experience in synthesising protein conjugates and developing in vivo and in vitro biorecognition elements (antibodies, phage, aptamers). These key binding partner reagents are then evaluated in a broad range of biosensor platforms (Biacore AB, SAW Instruments GmbH, MBio Diagnostics, Luminex, Fortebio, Ridgeview Instruments; Neogen Lateral flow devices) for bioanalytical method development. Her focus for the biosensor group is to develop through collaborations with other research institutes and industrial partners innovative, state-of-the-art scientific techniques and biosensor tools that will create a new facet in rapid food safety monitoring and traceability for the benefit of both animal and human health but also with an outlook on increasing food security. 

She was actively involved in this research through large EU multidisciplinary research projects MicroAqua, Handhold, Ciguatools, Collab4safety; in collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration in the USA and through Safefood funded research projects on climate change and nanotechnology. Current projects include Seafoodtomorrow, Eurobiotox and an EFSA sponsored project Mychif.

Delivery

• Future Oceans (BIO3102)
• Global Issues in Agriculture (BIO3207)
• Biomolecules in Health & Disease (BIO3304)
• Food Safety Quality and Nutrition Research Projects (BIO3302)
• Food Safety, Health and Disease (ALU8001/BIO4101)
• Advanced Food Bioanalysis (ALU8002/BIO4102)
• Advanced Food Safety Literature Review (BIO8303)
• Advanced Food Safety Research Project (BIO8307)
• Foundation for Research in the Biosciences (BBC8042)
• Global Food Security (Food Safety) Distance Learning Programmes

 Administration

• Co-ordinator for EITFOOD Education Programmes
• Module Co-ordinator for Advanced Food Bioanalysis (ALU8002/BIO4102)
• Module Co-ordinator for Global Food Security Distance Learning Programme