Research

Research Statement

There are four fundamental questions that drive my research activities: 1) To what extent does biology influence biomineral chemistry and what are the implications for climate and/or environmental reconstructions? 2) How do organisms “manipulate” simple, inorganic chemical substances to produce 3D complex mineral-based materials with superior physico-chemical properties 3) What can we learn from biomineralization about the influence of geological versus biological processes in the origin of life on our planet and within the Solar System? 4) How can studying the biological imprint of biominerals help us understand ecological adaptation of organisms throughout Earth’s history?

Biological Control of Mineral Formation & Properties

Organisms exert a precise control over biomineral formation from the molecular to the macroscopic levels. Much of my current work tries to decipher how organisms control mineral composition (i.e., polymorph selection), morphology, crystallography, chemistry, and structure. Within this overall theme, I am particularly interested in the characterization of the physico-chemical properties of biogenic carbonates. Also, using fossil and recent biominerals, I examine how organisms enhance ecological adaptation by “manipulating” mineral properties.

Research Projects:

Crystallography and physical properties of biominerals in carbonate-shelled organisms
Mineralization and (paleo-) ecological adaptation
Chemistry of Biominerals

Atom Probe Tomography (APT) Earth Sciences

The study of chemical mineralogy has been a major source of information within Earth Sciences for more than a century, as minerals actively record geological processes during and after their formation. Atom-probe tomography (APT) – the highest spatial resolution analytical technique in existence for the characterization of materials – has been recently added to the currently available techniques for mineral analysis. APT is capable of providing additional geochemical information at the atomic scale for nanoscale volumes of material. Despite a rising interest in APT in Geosciences, very few geologists know how to use APT to access geochemical information of minerals. I am one of the few world experts developing this technique. I have been funded by U.S. NSF (EAR-2019870, 1560779, 1647012) to develop APT for a wide range of geological applications (more information in http://uageoapt.ua.edu/ )

Research Projects:

APT characterization of bio-apatite
APT of micas and clay minerals
APT of minerals grown under hydrothermal conditions

Chemical Proxy Interpretation

Many marine organisms, such as foraminifera, corals, bivalves and brachiopods, produce calcium carbonate biominerals that record environmental changes at the time of their formation. These organisms do not simply precipitate carbonates or simultaneously record environmental information in a passive manner. Also, biological aspects or “vital effects,” such as physiology and metabolism, may influence variations in isotopic and trace element composition. My current work offers an alternative approach, one that emphasizes biology, to the study of geochemistry in the context of biomineralization. In addition, I aim to understand how environmentally-induced modifications on biomineral formation can alter the interpretation of chemical proxies.

Research Projects:

Vital effects of δ18O/ δ13C and trace element records in bivalves and brachiopods.
Diagenesis and clumped isotope paleothermometry.
Biomineralization and proxies in Antarctic scallops (NSF-EAR-1745064)

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