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Isotopes, Redox, Co-evolution
Research Fellow in Geochemistry
Appointment: | Room: |
|---|---|
| Research Fellow | K. Lonsdale Building, 2M07 |
Courses Taught: | |
| non-teaching appointment | |
Research Group(s): | |
| The London Geochemistry and Isotope Centre (LOGIC) | |
Email Address: | Telephone Number: |
| x-chen@ucl.ac.uk | |
Research Summary
I'm a geochemist utilising isotopes to trace the co-evolution of Earth and Life, especially interested in the oxygenation of the surface Earth and the expansion of networks of material/energy metabolism.
There are traditional redox-related geochemical tracers, such as Ce anomaly, contents of redox-sensitive elements, Fe speciation, and C-N-S isotope systems. In the last decades, non-traditional isotope systems have been thriving, including various redox-sensitive and/or bio-related metals (Mo, U, W, V, Ni, Cr, Fe, Cu, Zn, Cd, Ba...). These broad range of traditional and non-traditional tracers offer unique chances to reconstruct the redox conditions with different spatial and temporal resolutions.
Currently I am participating in a project ‘Chance versus purpose in the evolution of biospheres’, and curating chemostratigraphic database that could help theoretical analyses of the mechanisms (esp. feedbacks) causing the stasis and perturbations within the Earth system.