Ocean Biogeochemistry
- The biogeochemical cycling of bioactive trace metals in the oceans constrained by stable isotopic measurements of, for example, cadmium and iron
- Trace metal concentrations of dissolved metals in seawater
- Iron isotopic analysis of marine foodwebs in the Southern Ocean
- Participation in the international, 30-nation GEOTRACES programme which aims to map the world's oceans for trace metals and their isotopes
Climate
- Reconstruction of past global atmospheric circulation patterns for input into climate models using traditional and non-traditional stable isotope systems
- Uranium 'stable' isotopes, and other redox-sensitive metals, as tracers of anoxia in Earth's surface environments
- Reconstruction of past sea-levels using the high-precision U-series dating of fossil coral reefs to understand the mechanisms driving past and present climate change
Environment
- Determining the sources of metal ion pollution in aquatic systems using the lead and cadmium isotopic systems
- Low-level 'baseline' quantification of trace metals and their isotopes in New Zealand's South Island lakes and rivers
Geochronology and Cosmochemistry
- 'Stable' isotope fractionation of uranium with applications in sequencing the early Solar System
- Geochemical 'fingerprinting' and U-Pb dating of minerals to constrain the timing and physical conditions of crust formation
Forensic Geochemistry
- Strontium isotope and elemental concentration analysis of ancient teeth and bones to investigate human migration patterns
- Reconstructing the migration of fish populations using the strontium isotope and elemental concentration patterns of fish ear bones ('otoliths')
Analytical Development
- Ion exchange chemistry for multi-element purification
- Preconcentration methods for large volume seawater samples
- Double spiking techniques for instrumental mass fractionation correction
- Isotope dilution for multi-element concentration determination
Information about PhD Projects
Please search the postgraduate research opportunities database for potential projects.