ABOUT

WHO AM I and WHAT IS MY WORK?

I am Dr. Abdur Rahman, currently serving as a Postdoctoral Fellow at National Chung Cheng University in Chiayi, Taiwan. I earned my Ph.D. from the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, India, with my degree conferred by Pondicherry University through a memorandum of understanding with the laboratory.

My research primarily explores paleoenvironmental reconstructions through the lens of stable isotopes. I specialize in paleo-biogeochemistry, the historical dynamics of wildfires, and their interplay with both the environment and human activities. A key aspect of my work involves utilizing black carbon—produced by the partial combustion of biomass—as a proxy to reconstruct the history of wildfires. This research extends to analyzing carbon isotopes in black carbon to assess changes in precipitation and vegetation types (notably C3 and C4 plants).

Further, I have utilized nitrogen isotopes in black carbon as proxies to trace the transport pathways of black carbon into lakes and to identify shifts in terrestrial nitrogen dynamics. These shifts offer insights into landscape changes over human history. 

Additionally, I measure the carbon isotopes of organic matter occluded within diatom frustules to gain deeper understanding of the original isotopic DIC signatures of lakes, contributing to the reconstruction of paleo-carbon cycles.