Professor Tim Elliott, Research Group Leader 
I am an isotope geochemist who studies planetary formation and evolution. Specific interests range from modern geological processes to meteorite cosmochemistry, using an approach that focusses on high precision isotope analyses.

Dr Michael Henehan
My research centres on the global carbon cycle: from quantifying sources and sinks today, to understanding how climate interacted with these sources and sinks in the past, to documenting how all this was manifested in past atmospheric CO2 levels and temperatures. I apply a range of methods spanning metal(loid) isotopes in marine sediments and modern critical zone settings, to micropalaeontological methods in the fossil record. I have worked a lot in developing isotopic and trace metal proxies for ocean chemistry, atmospheric CO2 and temperature in foraminifera, and am increasingly exploring the potential for siliceous fossils to provide similar archives further back in time. This proxy development work involves live cultures of foraminifera and radiolarians, and calibration using modern sediments and plankton samples. I’m particularly interested in applying these climate and carbon cycle proxies to the greenhouse worlds of the Cretaceous and early Cenozoic – periods of high pCO2 and temperature that provide useful lessons for our potential future Earth.

Dr Ian Parkinson 

Professor Laura Robinson 
Drawing on samples collected through field work, ocean exploration and geochemistry our research group is looking at the interactions between oceans and climate in the modern and the past. We apply a diverse range of geochemical analyses to deep sea corals including uranium series, radiocarbon and trace metal approaches. The data reveal unique insights into the links between deep ocean biogeochemistry and global climate, as well as the vulnerability of deep-sea ecosystems in a changing world. 

Current Fellows

Dr Simon Lock
My research focusses on the phenomenon of induced seismicity - where human activities in the subsurface cause earthquakes. To study induced seismicity we deploy microseismic monitoring arrays to provide detailed observations from industrial sites, and we use statistical and numerical models to understand the fundamental geomechanical processes at play. I work on the development of observational seismological methods to improve the monitoring performance of microseismic arrays, and I work on the development of statistical models and numerical simulations of induced seismicity processes. My work has been applied to a broad range of industry types, including carbon capture and storage (CCS); geothermal energy; hydraulic fracturing (fracking); conventional oil and gas; natural gas storage; and subsurface wastewater disposal. 

Dr Caitlyn Witkowski
I investigate the co-evolution of life and Earth, especially how climate, the carbon cycle, ecology, and depositional environments impact one another over geologic time using organic geochemistry and stable isotopes. My current focus is on Palaeozoic mass extinction events, looking for similarities that lead to radical and catastrophic moments in Earth history, relevant for our rapidly changing planet today.

Ke Zhu
I am a Marie Curie Fellow and my research focusses on the history of the early solar system as recorded in meteorites. I have used mass dependent and mass independent isotope ratio measurements, dominantly on the Cr but also on the Ni isotope system to constrain the origin, nature and timing of processes on planetary bodies.

Current postdoctoral researchers

Toby Halamka
I am a geomicrobiologist and organic geochemist who studies the relationship between microbial physiology and lipid biomarker distributions.

Dr Jamie Lewis
My broad interests are in applying novel and existing geochemical techniques to help solve geological and archaeological problems. My PhD thesis focused on measurements of strontium isotopes in archaeological enamel and the extent to which diagenetic alteration can affect the results given by this method. I have also undertaken work using stable strontium isotopes (δ88Sr) to investigate trophic level spacing and ancient diets using controlled feeding experiments. 

Dr Isaac Onyett
I am an isotope geochemist focused on high-precision isotope measurements to study the origins of asteroids and planets. My current research investigates high-temperature components of chondritic meteorites using mass-independent isotope analyses and short-lived radiometric dating.

Current Postgraduate Research Students