When did you take up this position? What was your position beforehand?
I started at UCL in December 2021 after doing a Postdoc at Cardiff University researching platinum mines in South Africa.
Tell us about your work at UCL - how do you spend your days, and what makes your role different to similar positions elsewhere?
One of the things I enjoy most about my job is its variety – no two days are the same. During term time I will be teaching, supervising and mentoring students. I also run two labs, so I still get to spend plenty of time ‘at the coalface’ helping students and visitors collect data, as well as working on my own research projects.
Out of term time I do plenty of field work, which I love, with field sites in the last couple of years ranging from national parks in the UK to underground mines in Sweden, hills and forests in Canada, and snorkelling around volcanic vents in Greece.
It’s been great being able to build my own research team over the last few years. I lead the newly formed UCL Earth Resources Centre which brings together researchers and students working on Earth Resources, looking at topics such as how to find secure supplies of the rare elements needed for green technology, researching the earth processes which naturally concentrate metals, and studying heavy metal pollution in soils. This involves working with some excellent PhD and Master’s students, as well as building connections to other colleagues in UCL.
What are some of your favourite things about working at UCL? How have you found it different to previous jobs?
I really enjoy working in the Earth Sciences department – it’s a very friendly and collegiate community. Everyone has a can-do attitude so if you want to try something, like writing an ambitious research grant or developing a new undergraduate field trip, the support is always there, and I can always find people willing to help.
It’s also great working with so many female colleagues! As a subject area Earth Science, particularly Earth resources and mining, traditionally have very poor gender balance and prior to starting at UCL I didn’t have many female role models or mentors. UCL, however, has an active Women in Earth Science network and it’s great to be part of a department with so many awesome women to learn from, as well as being able to help inspire the next generation of female Earth scientists.
Can you tell us about any upcoming research, or future projects that you're looking forward to working?
I was recently awarded a UK-Canada Critical Minerals partnership grant where we will be working with colleagues at the University of British Columbia and the University of Leicester to research how natural earth processes can concentrate ‘critical metals’ – metals needed for the energy transition for which there is a supply risk – in copper and gold deposits.
We will then see whether we can use our knowledge of these earth processes to help mining companies extract these ‘by-product’ metals more efficiently, reducing mine waste.
This will involve taking a holistic look at case study critical metal rich ore deposits in northern British Columbia which are being considered for mine development. We will look at the chemistry, mineralogy, and spatial distribution of these critical metals, and whether there is a ‘secret ingredient’ in the processes which formed these deposits, as opposed to similar critical metal poor deposits elsewhere, which could explain their enrichment and distribution.
This grant is exciting because not only do we get to answer scientific questions to solve a real world problem, but it also involves setting up new and hopefully long-lasting collaborations with Canadian colleagues and will allow us to train early career scientists through research internships and linked Master’s projects, giving students a chance to do applied research and interact with industry.
Have you always been based in London? If not, when did you move here, and how did you find adapting to living in London?
I actually commute into London from a small town in the countryside so I get the best of both worlds. I love the hustle and bustle of working in London, not to mention the variety of great food available at lunchtime (though my wallet and waistline may not agree!), but then I also enjoy getting home to some peace and quiet with country walking on our doorstep.
Finally, tell us about your non-work life. Do you have any hobbies, or favourite places to go in London?
I like using my lunch breaks to explore around the Bloomsbury area – I’m currently trying to visit all the pocket parks and green spaces within a 30-minute walk of campus. I also love that the British Museum and British Library are so close and often sneak away to the library if I want to do some writing.
Outside of work I enjoy hiking, reading trashy sci-fi novels, and planning over-ambitious holidays – our last was a 2-week Interrail trip that took in 10 countries and over 4000 km of train travel!