Amy MacIntosh recently completed her Masters of Research (Environmental Sciences) in 2020 with her thesis comprising of a systematic review assessing the ecotoxicological effects of contaminants from decommissioned offshore oil and gas structure, primarily focusing on radioactive materials. She is soon to commence her PhD on the same topic, but utilising current radiotracing methods and assessments to understand anthropogenic contamination (trace metals, naturally occurring radioactive materials) and their bioavailability, biokinetics and toxic effects on marine and terrestrial wildlife. She incorporates the fields of petroleum chemistry, toxicology and zoology to assess the likely chemotoxic and radiotoxic effects of petroleum scale on Australian marine fauna. She is striving towards building an environmental and ecological based risk assessment framework for sustainable decommissioning of petroleum structures in Australia.

Originally from Scotland and being brought up in New Zealand, she had a strong passion for studying animals by following the footsteps of her inspiration, Sir David Attenborough. She obtained a Bachelors of Science in Zoology and Geography at the University of Otago followed by a Honours in Zoology/Wildlife Ecology at the University of Tasmania.