Past PhD & MScR students:

Dr Jack Salisbury – 2020–2025, PhD thesis title: Sulphur isotopes in Permian-Triassic evaporites: A tool for stratigraphy and correlation. [supervised by Prof Darren R. Gröcke (Earth Sciences) and Tom McKie (Shell)]

Miss Lauren Kancle – 2021–2025, PhD thesis title: Piecing Together the Past: Challenging the Traditional Notions of Early Medieval Humans in Britain One Isotopic Life History at a Time. [supervised by Prof Janet Montgomery (Archaeology), Prof Sarah Semple (Archaeology), Prof Becky Gowland (Archaeology) and Prof Darren R. Gröcke (Earth Sciences)]

Miss Ioanna Iosifidi – 2023–2024, MScR thesis title: Crop husbandry strategies in the North-east of England inferred from carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes on archaeobotanical assemblages from corn-drying kilns from commercial palaeoenvironmental archives. [supervised by Prof Mike Church (Archaeology) and Prof Darren R. Gröcke (Earth Sciences)]

Miss Freya Alldred – 2022–2023, MScR thesis title: Macroalgae Stable Isotope Analysis to Trace Sewage Nitrogen Pollution in Estuarine Environments. [supervised by Prof Darren R. Gröcke (Earth Sciences)]

Miss Francesca Warren – 2022–2023, MScR thesis title: “Life finds a way”: Palaeoceanographic reconstructions of the Early Jurassic using stable isotope analyses and their relationship to extinctions and bivalve shell size changes. [supervised by Prof Darren R. Gröcke (Earth Sciences)]

Miss Amy Le – 2021–2022, MScR thesis title: Quantifying microplastic contamination in the Río Bermejo (Argentina) compared to the River Wear (UK). [supervised by Prof Darren R. Gröcke]

Mr Chung Yin Leung – 2021–2022, MScR thesis title: Macroalgae nitrogen isoscape maps of island environments: assessing nitrogen pollution against social and agricultural activities. [supervised by Prof Darren R. Gröcke]

Miss Amy McGuinness – 2021–2022, MSci thesis title: Microplastic concentrations in north-east England rivers. [supervised by Prof Darren R. Gröcke (Earth Sciences)]

Miss Sarah O'Donnell – 2021–2022, MSci thesis title: Stable isotope analysis of grey seal vibrissae from the south coast of England. [supervised by Prof Darren R. Gröcke (Earth Sciences)]

Miss Jennifer Talbot – 2021–2022, MScR thesis title: Quantifying microplastic contamination in rivers and coastal waters from the Durham Heritage Coast. [supervised by Prof Darren R. Gröcke (Earth Sciences)]

Mr Adam Khan – 2020–2021, MSci project title: Understanding woolly mammoth and African elephant ecology through isotope analysis. [supervised by Prof Darren R. Gröcke (Earth Sciences)]

Mr Jack Silver – 2020–2021, MSci project title: Rainfall isotope records in Durham — is there a link with NAO? [supervised by Prof Darren R. Gröcke (Earth Sciences)]

Miss Hoi Dik Rosalie Ashleigh Cheung – 2019–2020, MScR project title: Carbon and sulphur isotopes in marine evaporites from the late Permian to Late Triassic, Yorkshire, UK. [supervised Prof Dr Darren R. Gröcke (Earth Sciences)]

Dr Munira Raji – 2014–2018, PhD thesis title: Offshore unconventional petroleum reserves in the Kimmeridge Clay Formation, North Sea, UK. [supervised by Prof Darren R. Gröcke (Earth Sciences) and Prof H. Chris Greenwell (Chemistry)]

Dr Tara Love – 2017–2018, MScR project title: Relating shale mineralogy and microstructure to swelling activity [supervised by Prof H. Chris Greenwell (Chemistry) and Prof Darren R. Gröcke (Earth Sciences)]

Miss Blanca Racionero-Gómez – 2015–2017, MScR thesis title: Rhenium, osmium and nitrogen uptake in Phaephyceae macroalgae, Fucus vesiculosus. [supervised by Prof H. Chris Greenwell (Chemistry) and Prof Darren R. Gröcke (Earth Sciences)]

Dr Hrafnhildur Halldórsdóttir – 2015–2016, MScR thesis title: An Archaeobotanic and Isotopic Analysis of Fruit Remains from 17th and 18th Century Contexts at the Bishopric of Skálholt, South Iceland. [supervised by Dr Mike Church (Archaeology) and Prof Darren R. Gröcke (Earth Sciences)]

Dr Leo Newport – 2013–2016: Geochemical and lithological controls on a potential shale reservoir: Carboniferous Holywell Shale, Wales. [supervised by Prof H. Chris Greenwell (Chemistry) and Prof Darren R. Gröcke (Earth Sciences)]

Dr Alice Du Vivier – 2010–2014: Global evaluation of Os and Ca marine isotope stratigraphy and U-Pb geochronology of the OAE 2. [supervised by Prof Dave Selby (Earth Sciences) and Prof Darren R. Gröcke (Earth Sciences)]

Dr Andrew H. Caruthers – 2009–2013: Pliensbachian–Toarcian (Early Jurassic) extinction in western North America. [supervised by Prof Paul L. Smith, University of British Columbia, Canada and Prof Darren R. Gröcke (Earth Sciences)]

Dr Peter J. van Hengstum – 2006–2008: Thecamoebians as proxies for paleoenvironmental analysis: modern cave and deep-time examples. [supervised by Prof Ed Reinhardt (McMaster University, Canada) and Prof Darren R. Gröcke (Earth Sciences)]

Dr Andrew W. Kingston – 2005–2007: Investigating marine resource strategies of the Heiltsuk Nation, Namu, on the coast of British Columbia. [supervised by Prof Darren R. Gröcke (Earth Sciences)]

Miss Michele Asgar-Deen – 2003–2005: Cretaceous shales of the Western Canada sedimentary basin. [supervised by Prof Claudia Schroder-Adams (Carleton University, Canada) and Prof Darren R. Gröcke (Earth Sciences)]

Miss Alison Cohen – 2003–2005: Biomarker analysis of high-productivity oceans in the geologic record. [supervised by Prof Roger Summons (MIT, USA) and Prof Darren R. Gröcke (Earth Sciences)]

Past undergraduate students (incl. MSci):

Miss Caitlin Banbury  – 2025, project title: Tracing the impact of waste material from Hawthorn Combined Mine and Hawthorn Coke Works on soil, vegetation, and water using sulphur isotopes. 

Miss Isabel James  – 2025, project title: Physiological features impacting carbon and nitrogen isotopes in deep sea sharks. 

Miss Eve Rose  – 2025, project title: Tracing the impact of County Durham coal mine heaps on water, soil and vegetation. 

Miss Millie Snowdon  – 2025, project title: Investigating the Diet and Foraging Habits of Grey and Harbour Seals using Stable Isotope Analysis of Vibrissae taken from the Moray Firth, Scotland. 

Miss Poppy Wynter  – 2025, project title: Alteration of carbon isotope signals by trace fossils during the Middle Miocene Climate Optimum in the South Atlantic Gyre: IODP Expedition 393. 

Miss Eileen Brendler-Spaeth  – 2024, project title: Using macroalgae as biomonitors of nitrogen loading to Welsh coasts. 

Mr Tom Juarez-Townson  – 2024, project title: Inferring Environmental Change from Lake Sediments in Norway. 

Miss Elizabeth (Libby) Hall  – 2024, project title: Sulphur Isotopes in County Durham Tree Tings as a Record of Coal Burning History..

Miss Olivia Mawdsley  – 2024, project title: Nitrogen isotopes in Macroalgae along the River Thames, London. 

Miss Sophia Orr  – 2024, project title: Using the nitrogen isotope ratios of macroalgae and macrophytes to identify sources of N to the River Thames. 

Miss Maddie Roe  – 2024, project title: Using δ15N stable isotope ratios in vibrissae to establish foraging and dietary patterns of harbour and grey seals in Northeast Scotland.

Mr Didi Bostock  – 2023, project title: Effects of biochar and seaweed fertilisation on silver birch, Betula pendula, carbon, nitrogen and sulphur isotope ratios, and tree growth.

Miss Eve Kerr  – 2023, project title: The Spatial Variability of δ34S in Modern Plants and Soil Across Ancient and Artificial Woodlands in Northern Ireland.

Mr Stephen McLoughlin  – 2023, project title: Investigating Grey Seal Diet and Ecology using Stable Isotope Analysis of Vibrissae from the Isles of Scilly, UK.

Miss Lucy Ogilvy  – 2023, project title: Using stable sulphur isotope analysis to investigate pollution in the city of York, United Kingdom.

Miss Eva Rundle  – 2023, project title: An investigation into the effects of parasitic bronchopneumonia and acute trauma in grey seal pups on the δ13C and δ15N values of their vibrissae.

Miss Freya Alldred  – 2022, project title: Elevated Nitrogen Isotopes in Macroalgae as an Indicator of Sewage Pollution for St Mary’s Island, Isles of Scilly.

Mr Callum Bell  – 2022, project title: Investigating the effect of disease and body trauma on δ13C and δ15N  values extracted from the vibrissae of grey seal pups found stranded in South West.

Miss Honor Stephens  – 2022, project title: Investigating the diet and husbandry of a Medieval horse from Newcastle upon Tyne, north-eastern England through the use of incremental stable isotope analysis.

Miss Francesca Warren  – 2022, project title: Using carbon and nitrogen isotope stratigraphy to refine UK upper Cambrian stratigraphy.

Mr Justin Wan – 2020, project title: Using spatial analysis of stable nitrogen isotopes in macroalgae to trace anthropogenic input around Scotland.

Miss Rhiannon Marchi-Smith – 2018, project title: Sulphur Isotopes in Stratigraphy Across the Triassic/Jurassic Boundary.

Miss Jenny Wilcox – 2017, summer intern project title: Stable isotope fingerprinting of edible oils and biofuels.

Miss Tara Love (now Dr) – 2017, project title: Nitrogen isotope stratigraphy across the Triassic/Jurassic boundary.

Mr James Marschalek – 2016, project title: Using δ15N in Fucus vesiculosus to determine the cause of macroalgal blooms on Seal Sands.

Miss Julia Windeler – 2016, project title: Carbon storage and water-use efficiency in tree rings from Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada.

Miss Rosemary Knight – 2016, project title: Carbon isotope ratios of maritime pine tree rings along a salinity gradient.

Miss Stefania Boughey – 2015, project title: A study of the geochemistry of the marine successions at Bowlees Quarry, Teesdale: palaeoenvironment implications.

Miss Naomi Pratt (now Dr) – 2015, project title: Submerged forests and tree-ring stable isotopes: A preliminary investigation.

Mr Chris Dalby (now Dr) – 2015, project title: Intra-bed and inter-bed isotopic variation of the Whitby Mudstone Formation, Port Mulgrave.

Miss Marianne Brett-Tellick (now Dr) – 2012, project title: Environmental controls on stable isotope ratios in New Zealand Podocarpaceae: implications for palaeoclimate reconstruction.

Mr Ben Flint – 2012, project title: Hydrological and vegetation isoscapes of the Lake District, UK.

Mr James France – 2012, project title: A dendrochronology/dendroclimatology study of Fagus sylvatica L. from Bickerton, Northumberland, UK.

Miss Keara (Masrani) Gurran – 2012, project title: Characterising the carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of vegetation in the UK.

Miss Emma-Kate Prout – 2012, project title: Within- and between-ear isotopic variation in modern cereal grains.

Mr James Spray (now Dr) – 2012, project title: Investigation into the suitability of oxygen and hydrogen stable isotopes in single malt whisky as geographical tracers.

Miss Rachael Wellfare – 2012, project title: The effect of ironstone pollution on nutrient transport at Saltburn-by-the-Sea.

Mr Ben Andrew – 2011, project title: Water quality and pollution in Kosovo.

Miss Rebecca Collingwood – 2011, project title: The palaeogeographic distribution of gingko plants over the past 200 million years.

Miss Beth Emberton – 2011, project title: The altitudinal effect on stable isotope ratios in modern plant leaves. 

Miss Rhiannon Griffin – 2011, project title: Geochemical analysis of a sediment core from Oxbow Lake, County Durham, UK.

Miss Emily Hawkes (now Dr) – 2011, project title: Isotopic shifts associated with leaf senescence.

Mr David Munroe – 2011, project title: Oxygen and hydrogen isotopic changes during the distillation of whiskey.

Miss Yanning Rao – 2011, project title: An altitudinal carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of leaves, wood and soil from Peru.

Miss Alice Du Vivier (now Dr) – 2010, project title: Osmium and carbon isotope stratigraphy across the Cenomanian/Turonian boundary.

Miss Siobhan Moran – 2010, project title: A detailed analysis of stable carbon isotope ratio distribution in leaves. 

Miss Taryn Gray – 2008, project title: Examination of the mid-Cretaceous terrestrial carbon-isotope record (Moose River, Ontario) and Oceanic Anoxic Event 1d.

Miss Tatiana Lee – 2007, project title: LA-ICP-MS analysis of Wilson Bands in archaeological Roman teeth. 

Miss Amy Reynolds – 2007, project title: Carbon isotope intraleaf variation in modern and fossil leaves.

Miss Jessica Wierdsma – 2007, project title: Stable-isotope analysis of plants from sloth faeces over the last 40,000 years.

Mr Andrew Kingston (now Dr)– 2004, project title: Late Ordovician climates and isotopes in trilobite skeletons from the Utica Basin.

Miss Kirsty Edgar (now Prof) – 2003, project title: Stable isotopes in modern European beetles.

Mr James Hunt (now Dr) – 2003, project title: Trace-element geochemistry of the mid-Cretaceous Greensand Formation, Isle of Wight, England.

Miss Elisabeth Macdonald – 2003, project title: Mid-Cretaceous foraminifera stable isotopes.

Mr David James – 2002, project title: Cyclostratigraphy in the mid-Cretaceous.

Mr Matthew Tritton – 2002, project title: Late Jurassic carbon-isotope stratigraphy.

Mr Dave Kemp (now Prof) – 2001, project title: Nonlinear dynamical analysis of sedimentary time series.