MBE for Emeritus Professor Geoff Codd

Over his career Professor Codd has investigated toxic cyanobacterial (blue-green algal) blooms, particularly their toxins (production, properties, health effects and control). His laboratory has served as a centre for cyanobacterial toxin analysis and toxicity assessment for several national water authorities, environmental and health agencies, for the risk management of water resources and associated activities.

On being named an MBE, Professor Codd said, "I am very pleased and honoured to have received this award for work on the protection of our water resources.

"The UK is now regarded as a world centre of expertise and experience in the recognition and risk management of toxic blue-green algal blooms, which are of increasing occurrence in the world's water supplies. This has been achieved through our many years of work, centred at the University of Dundee, with the essential contributions of my former postgraduate students, technicians and postdoctoral colleagues from Scotland, the rest of the UK and around the world. Our efforts continue."

He has presented hundreds of talks all over the world and has published over 270 papers in refereed journals and over 330 other publications in conference proceedings and books.

He is also an Honorary Professor at the University of Stirling, and Adjunct Professor at Flinders University, Australia. He carried out his PhD research in algal biochemistry and physiology at the University of Bradford in England, followed by a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Max Planck Institute in Cologne, Germany. He then moved to Dundee where he has carried out research on photosynthesis and the toxicology of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), and supervised around 40 PhD students.

He has been a member of several national and international working parties on cyanobacterial toxins, including the World Health Organisation and UNESCO. He is a former President of the British Phycological Society and of the Federation of European Phycological Societies He has also served on the steering committees of UK and European Union programs on the risk management of cyanobacterial blooms and toxins.