Research
Critical element adsorption and incorporation in oxides and clay minerals
Using synchrotron-based X-ray techniques, electron microscopy, and laboratory experiments to understand the behavior of REEs and PGEs on adsorption on various mineral surfaces and incorporation in crystal structures
Sedimentary carbonate in the rock record
Interpreting the sedimentary conditions in the Earth’s past using the abundances, composition, and crystal structure of Ca-Mg carbonate and sometimes Mg-clays. This provides an independent proxy/constraint that is comparable with the stable isotopic data
Biomineralization
Using laboratory syntheses to understand the Ca-Mg carbonate growth mechanism on leaf-cutting ants and other biomineralization systems
Geochemical modeling of coupled Ca, Mg, Si, and C cycles
Using PHREEQC and/or box models to understand the effect of intense chemical weathering on the precipitation of cap carbonate during deglaciation at the end of the Snowball Earth event