Welcome! My name is James Dottin and I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences (DEEPS) at Brown University and the PI of SLAB. I am originally from Boston, MA and through the METCO program I attended Concord Public Schools. I received my B.A. with Honors (majoring in Earth and Environmental Sciences) from Wesleyan University and went on on the University of Maryland, College Park to receive a M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Geology.
My expertise is in using the multiple sulfur isotope composition of a variety of rock materials to understand the origin and evolution of their respective parent bodies. My research has involved rocks from Mars, Earth and Earth's moon, differentiated planetesimals, and chondrites. At Brown, I am establishing a research group that builds on the research I have done and expands into other sub-fields focused on the origin and evolution of planets within our solar system and beyond.
James Dottin CV.pdfHairuo joined SLAB in Fall 2024 as a LunaSCOPE Postdoctoral Fellow. Hairuo’s research focuses on understanding planetary formation and differentiation through elemental and isotopic insights from high-temperature geochemical processes. His research methods include stable and radiogenic isotope systematics, trace element analysis, numerical modeling, and paleomagnetism. At Brown, his current work aims to develop novel tests for Moon-formation models by integrating giant-impact dynamics with the geochemical evolution of the proto-lunar disk, including refractory and volatile elements. He earned his Ph.D. in Planetary Science from Harvard University in 2024.
Pronouns: he/his
Olivia joined SLAB winter of 2025. Olivia’s research has thus far focused on disentangling whether geochemical signatures, such as incompatible trace element ratios and volatiles (H 2 O, CO 2 , F, Cl, S), measured in melt inclusions or submarine glasses are representative of the mantle source or have been modified during transport through the crust. Olivia often uses olivine-hosted melt inclusions to explore melt compositions that are less evolved and less degassed compared to what is erupted at the surface or the ocean floor. At Brown, Olivia is planning to use bulk and in-situ sulfur isotope measurements of sulfur bearing minerals among a variety of solar system materials to better constrain their respective histories of volatile processing. Olivia earned her M.Sc. in Geology from Western Washington University in 2017 and her Ph.D. in Earth Science in 2024 from the University of California, Santa Barbara under the mentorship of Dr. Matt Jackson.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Kiran ('key-run') joined SLAB in Fall 2024 as a graduate student. As an undergraduate, she majored in Environmental Geology and International Politics at Juniata College in Huntington, PA. While at Juniata, Kiran contributed to research developing copper isotope measurement techniques, investigated the origin of iron oxide ± apatite deposits using iron isotopes, and studied isotope systematics of helium, neon, and carbon in the Andean Convergent Margin. At Brown, she is particularly interested in research projects that focus on the origin of the moon's volatiles and its impacts on the interior, surface, and atmosphere of the moon.
Pronouns: she/her
Former group members