Isotope Geochemist / “Garnet Girl” / Assistant Professor

I am an isotope geochemist using the mineral garnet to investigate metamorphic timing and processes throughout Earth’s history, with a special focus on uncovering and understanding Earth’s oldest Archean garnet records. My research focus has earned me the nickname “Garnet Girl” as I push the boundaries of garnet geochronology and often choose to work with the oldest, the smallest, or the chemically challenging garnets. Research project highlights include: 1) reliably dating the oldest currently known garnet sample at 3.2 billion years old, 2) refining techniques to routinely date garnet with a hundred picograms or less of Nd, advancing the minimum boundary for sample size, and 3) refining a procedure that allows us to reliably date analytically challenging detrital garnet for the first time.