Overview

Biography

I earned a MSc in petroleum geology from the University of Pau (France), and I worked for 9 months at the research centre of TOTAL in Pau on characterization of carbonate source rocks in the Aquitaine Basin. This was followed by Erasmus research projects on terrestrial microbial carbonates at the University of Aberdeen. Since 2017 until 2021, I have been working as a PhD student in Geology on renewing approaches to understanding the minerals and waters at alkaline waste sites. Duties also included supporting lecturing staff in to deliver high quality teaching in geology and physical geography, specifically laboratory teaching in a broad range of sub-disciplines, assistance with field teaching and assessment.

I am currently working as a Postdoctoral Researcher at Heriot-Watt University in Greenhouse Gas Removal. This post explores a novel method of ocean alkalinity, particularly through the creation of new materials. The focus of the work is on material characterisation and geochemical kinetics. This position is part of a large consortium project to explore the feasibility of ocean alkalinity enhancement. I will work with project partners to make fundamental insights into the feasibility of a novel method to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Particularly, I will explore national and international inventories of appropriate rock, their potential for extraction and processing, and what opportunities could be exploited in the short or long-term. There are also opportunities to participate in other projects in CO2 capture, utilisation and storage, and negative emission technologies (https://rccs.hw.ac.uk).

I am one of the first researchers who stands at the interface of carbonate geochemistry and environmental science, and I have pioneered research in this area during my PhD work. I am now ready to take this work up to a bigger scale to answer questions of major societal significance. 

Areas of expertise

Sedimentology, carbonates, Anthropocene, microbialites, Pre-Salt reservoirs, carbonate source rocks, hyperalkaline steel slag, CDR, geochemistry, ikaite.