Natasha Logan

Natasha Logan is a Research Fellow at the Queen's University Belfast, School of Biological Sciences, specializing in food safety and contaminant detection. She employs advanced analytical techniques like Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS), mass spectrometry, and chemometrics for rapid screening of mycotoxins, pesticides, and heavy metals in food and environmental samples. Her work integrates machine learning for geographical origin discrimination of black tea and Halloumi cheese authentication.

• Key Research Areas:
  • Mycotoxin detection in agricultural products
  • Mercury ion sensing via nanozymes
  • Handheld spectrometry for in-field analysis
  • Food fraud prevention (e.g., Sudan dye in palm oil)
  • Hyperspectral imaging for beef maturity assessment

Recent Publications focus on LC-QToF mass spectrometry for tea origin identification, SERS for pesticide analysis in rice, and chemometric modeling for cheese species authentication. Awards include a Lean Launch Program grant (2020) and multiple Safefood travel fellowships (2017, 2018).

• Scientific Awards:
  • Food Safety & Nutrition Symposium 1st Place (£700)
  • Lean Launch Program (£2655 fee + £1000 research funding)
  • Safefood Training Fellowships (£2000 x2)

Logan actively contributes to peer-review (e.g., Microchimica Acta, Nature Scientific Reports) and participates in international conferences like the 45th Mycotoxin Workshop (2024) and World Mycotoxin Forum (2023). Her work addresses sustainable food systems through contaminant mitigation.