People
Clara Blättler
Clara joined the University of Chicago in 2018 as an assistant professor. She works on geochemical problems related to the carbon cycle, Earth history, chemical oceanography, and geobiology. Although most of her research takes place in inorganic geochemistry laboratories, she has carried out field work both on land and at sea. She clearly enjoys sitting on chairs made of carbonate.
Preston Kemeny
Preston is a TC Chamberlain postdoctoral fellow who joined the University of Chicago in 2022. A stable isotope geochemist and modeler, he studies the biogeochemical reactions and physical processes regulating the carbon, alkalinity, and electron fluxes that keep Earth habitable, both today and throughout the geologic past. Preston's PhD at Caltech focused on the role of sulfide oxidation in the relationship between chemical weathering and climate and he worked on glacial-interglacial nitrogen dynamics during his undergraduate years at Princeton. Peruse Preston's page of published papers and proceeding projects!
Malu Carvalho Ferreira
Malu is a postdoctoral scientist who joined the University of Chicago in 2023. Malu has a broad interest in oceanography, paleoclimate, and geochemistry, but mostly she is interested in the links between the ocean and the climate. During her master studies in oceanography (at FURG, Brazil), she investigated the modern distribution of deep-water masses in the Atlantic Ocean. More recently, Malu did her PhD in Bristol (UK) focusing on investigating the oceanic variability during the last glacial and deglacial interval. For this purpose, she applied geochemical proxies (U-Th dating, radiocarbon, and Li/Mg paleothermometry) to cold-water corals to reconstruct seawater signatures. The results of this study indicate that the intermediate ocean has maintained a close link with the atmosphere, and that it responds promptly to perturbations in the oceanic circulation. Now, Malu plans to expand the timescale of her research and to investigate new geochemical proxies used to constrain diagenetic processes in carbonates.
Chiza Mwinde
Chiza is a graduate student who joined the University of Chicago in Autumn 2020. Broadly, she is interested in using geochemical signatures in sedimentary deposits to tackle problems related to paleoclimate and Earth history. She received her bachelor’s degree in Geosciences from Smith College. When she is not pipetting samples in the lab, Chiza can be found exploring pastry shops, drawing, or learning something new.
Jordan Todes
Jordan is a graduate student who joined the University of Chicago in 2020. He received his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University, and subsequently was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Warsaw. His interests are broadly centered about the impact of evolutionary, environmental, and tectonic drivers on the stratigraphic record. Outside of Hinds, he likes exploring the outdoors, local coffee shops, and reading.
Lauren Bergeron
Lauren is a graduate student who joined the University of Chicago in Autumn 2022. She received her bachelor's degree in Geology and History from Albion College. Her undergraduate research was centered on utilizing authigenic minerals and invertebrate fossils to reconstruct paleoenvironmental conditions of high productivity marine systems in both the Cretaceous of Madagascar and the Permian of eastern Idaho. In her graduate tenure, she is broadly interested in combining sequence stratigraphy, geochemistry, and taphonomy to assess biotic responses to environmental change in marine systems.
Kly Suquino
Kly is a third-year undergraduate student studying the geophysical and environmental sciences. He has previously done research on organics in deep ocean surface sediments and remote sensing of artificial light at night. His interests mainly surround planetary habitability and anthropogenic impacts on the Earth system. In his free time he enjoys coffee, photographing birds, basketball, and playing with his kitten, Echo.
Previous members:
Andrew McGallian
Andrew is an undergraduate student who is helping out with laboratory analyses this summer. He is quickly becoming an expert at trace-element analyses on the iCAP ICP-MS instrument.
lab member summer 2023
Roger Bryant
Roger is a postdoctoral scholar who joined the University of Chicago in 2019. He has been obsessed with rocks and minerals since he started his Bachelor's at the University of St. Andrews, in 2010. His subsequent PhD research at Washington University in St. Louis focused largely on sulfur isotopes in sedimentary iron sulfides, but he is now excited to contribute to the demystification of geochemical signatures in carbonates. View his personal website here.
lab member 2019-2022; now faculty at Purdue
Dan Razionale
Dan joined the University of Chicago in 2019 as the laboratory manager and technician for the group. He has experience operating several ICP spectrometers and other instrumentation that the group uses to generate geochemical data. He received a B.Sc. in Marine Geophysics from Eckerd College where he researched the longevity of geochemical effects of the Deepwater Horizon Blowout Event. When he’s not operating instruments in the lab, you can normally find him exploring outside, rock climbing, or playing games.
lab member 2019-2022; now graduate student at Brown
Vespera Luo
Vespera is an undergraduate student at the University of Chicago majoring in geophysics, with a focus in geochemistry. She has broad interests in chemical oceanography, the carbon cycle, and all kinds of rocks. She considers herself a street park/national park connoisseur, and she is very judgmental about novels and food. Please reach out if you want to know the best dim sum or Tiramisu in town!
lab member 2022
Tara Kalia
Tara is an undergraduate student at the University of Chicago majoring in chemistry. She has previously worked in an organic chemistry lab but is now excited to explore geochemistry and analytical chemistry. When she’s not studying or working in the lab, she enjoys hiking, reading, gardening, and whittling.
lab member 2022
Kalena Genesis
Kalena is an undergraduate student at the University of Chicago majoring in the geophysical sciences with a focus in geochemistry. After signing up for a field course in her first year, she became interested in learning more about geological sciences. Kalena has previously done research in freshwater ecology and paleobiology, and she is excited to begin geochemical research on carbonates. In her free time, she enjoys watercolor painting, drawing, writing poetry, and running.
lab member 2019-2020, 2022