Ms Sarah McDonald ~ Research Officer

Dr Sarah McDonald early career researcher, (one year post PhD), is a research officer with the Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystems Research (TropWATER) at James Cook University and published research scientist. Her expertise spans the fields of environmental chemistry, freshwater ecology, biological statistics and ecotoxicology.

Dr McDonald’s field of special competence is water and sediment quality assessment, focusing on the quantification of the form (speciation), behaviour (bioavailability) and ecotoxicological impact (bioaccumulation) of chemical contaminants and stressors, and the development of suitable ecological monitoring tools to measure and mitigate these impacts. She has a deep and varied understanding of the national water quality guidelines framework and the application of the guidelines in complex ephemeral systems such as dry streambeds of the wet-dry tropics and urban stormwater systems. Her additional capabilities include knowledge on the role of dissolved organic matter in aquatic ecosystems, it’s characteristics and effect on the speciation and toxicity of chemical contaminants.

Dr McDonald is specialised in a range of laboratory-, computer- and field-based techniques. Specifically, she has expertise conducting laboratory bioassays on a variety of aquatic biota to determine contaminant kinetics and threshold values, including the application of radiotracers and advanced imaging autoradiography. Dr McDonald has practical experience in environmental analytical chemistry and the development of statistical methods and models for ecotoxicological applications. Her field-based expertise directly relates to practical water, sediment and macroinvertebrate sampling spanning temperate to tropical environments and from highly urbanised to remote settings.

Research Disciplines

• Ecological applications (4102)
• Pollution and contamination (4105)
• Ecology (3103)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Fresh, ground and surface water systems and management (1803)

Awards

• 2021 - Royal Society of Victoria Young Scientist Research Prize
• 2021 - Albert Shimmins Post Graduate Writing Up Award
• 2019 - Animal Welfare Excellence Award
• 2018 - Drummond Travel Award
• 2018 to 2021 - Australian Institude of Nuclear Science and Engineering Post Graduate Research Award
• 2018 to 2020 - Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment Award

Memberships

• 2021 - Women in Nuclear (WiN)
• 2021 - Royal Society of Victoria
• 2020 - Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI)
• 2017 - Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC)

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• McDonald S, Cresswell T, Hassell K and Keough M (2022) Experimental design and statistical analysis in aquatic live animal radiotracing studies: a systematic review. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 52 (15). pp. 2772-2801
• McDonald S, Holland A, Simpson S, Gadd J, Bennett W, Walker G, Keough M, Cresswell T and Hassell K (2022) Metal forms and dynamics in urban stormwater runoff: new insights from diffusive gradients in thin-films (DGT) measurements. Water Research, 209.
• McDonald S, Hassell K and Cresswell T (2021) Effect of short-term dietary exposure on metal assimilation and metallothionein induction in the estuarine fish Pseudogobius sp. Science of the Total Environment, 772.
• McDonald S, Cresswell T and Hassell K (2020) Bioaccumulation kinetics of cadmium and zinc in the freshwater decapod crustacean Paratya australiensis following multiple pulse exposures. Science of the Total Environment, 720.

Other research outputs

• McDonald S (2022) Water quality guidelines for metal contaminants in stormwater runoff: insights and considerations. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 41 (1). pp. 19-20

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