Dr Mike Stewart

Mike has over 19 years professional experience as a chemist, having worked in the pharmaceutical/biotech (UK), academia (Australia) and CRI (New Zealand) environments.

Mike has research and commercial experience in environmental chemistry, including the design and implementation of monitoring programmes on legacy and emerging organic contaminants, reviews of emerging contaminants in the aquatic receiving environment from SoE and RMA perspectives, monitoring programme reviews for council, water quality trend analysis, human health risk assessments of contaminants in mahinga kai species and assessments of ecological effects.

Mike is a certified RMA Independent Commissioner.

Mike is part of a core group of researchers in New Zealand pushing for better understanding of the fate and effects of emerging contaminants on our unique ecosystems. He is also foremost in the development of passive sampling techniques in New Zealand to assess bioavailable concentrations of contaminants of concern.

His current research also encompasses chemical ecology, utilising his skills in mass spectrometry and natural products chemistry. Applications of this research have been in biosecurity and conservation. Biosecurity aspects have involved the discovery of pheromones or semio-chemicals with potential to control pest perch and Asian paddle crab species. Conservation aspects have involved the quantitation of pheromones for monitoring native lamprey, and analysis of pheromones implicated in eel species separation. The lamprey method has been adopted by some regional councils and the Department of Conservation for assessment of lamprey stream populations.

Mike is a Director of Streamlined Environmental.