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I am an earth scientist (B.S. in geology and Ph.D. in geochemistry) with primary interests in the early Earth, the origin of life, and the evolution of the continental crust. I investigate these processes using the geochronology and composition of accessory minerals (for example: zircon, shown at left).

The first half billion years of Earth history lack a confirmed rock record, but bore witness to many of the important events that shaped our planet's subsequent evolution. The formation of the Moon, likely magma ocean(s), and potentially the origin of terrestrial life occurred in this epoch, and each played crucial roles in forming the blue planet we know today.

My research has focused on using the geochemistry and included minerals in detrital zircon to investigate the composition of ancient crust that has since been lost to erosion and recycling. Better rules for matching inclusion petrology and host zircon geochemistry to origins in specific types of magma or tectonic settings will allow us to investigate the ancient crust throughout geologic history, from the now-lost >4 billion year old (Ga) crust to more recently eroded young terranes. Most of my research involves micro-analysis by ion microprobe, which allows for high-spatial resolution isotopic analyses of solid samples.

I am an assistant researcher and the manager of the ion probe laboratory, Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, UCLA.