OUR TEAM
Our people are at the core of what makes the Monash Isotopia such a unique and fulfilling place to work. We’re proud of the diversity of our staff, with each member contributing their unique skills to the projects we’re working on. Together, we’ve planned and executed some of the most innovative and cutting edge experiments. Find out more about our team members below.
DR. PETER CAWOOD
Professor of Geodynamics and Principle Investigator
Peter is an Australian Research Council laureate fellow and the patron and co-founder of the ISOTOPIA laboratory.
His research is focusing on the development and evolution of the early crust on Earth.
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DR. IAN CARTWRIGHT
Professor of Hydrogeology and Principle Investigator
Ian has been working at Monash Geoscience for many years. He has a standing reputation as one of Australia's leading experts in ground and surface water chemistry.
DR. OLIVER NEBEL
Associate Professor of Geochemistry
ISOTOPIA Research Director
SEAE Laboratory Coordinator
Oliver is the head and one of the principle investigators of the laboratory. As a trained analytical geochemist and geochronologist, he is often involved in setting up new techniques. His research is focusing on crustal formation and mantle evolution.
DR. YONA NEBEL-JACOBSEN
Clean-Laboratory Manager
Research Fellow
Yona is responsible for the daily operation of our clean room laboratory. She is overseeing the chromatographic purification of elements and the analyses of solution-based element concentrations and isotope analyses.
Her research interests are around Hf isotopes and onset of subduction.
DR. MASSIMO RAVEGGI
Principle Laboratory Technician
Massimo oversees all laboratories and the laser ablation systems in particular. He is a specialist in dating various minerals using the U-Pb system.
RACHELLE PEARSON
Laboratory Technician
Rachelle oversees the ICP-OES operations for water samples, the mineral separation in the department and is routinely analysing C-N isotopes in waters.
DR. VITOR BARROTE
Research Fellow
Laboratory Technician
Vitor takes care of our LA-SS routines on the MC-ICP-MS. He has experience with diverse isotopic systems and methods, including Hf, U-Pb and Nd.
DR. ANDREW FRIERDICH
Researcher and ARC DECRA fellow
Andrew is a low-temperature geochemist with a strong focus on Fe-bearing minerals in the environment. He is applying geochemical engineering to unlock crucial metals out of minerals.
DR. ALEX MCCOY-WEST
Research Fellow
Alex is working on early crustal formation using stable Nd isotopes. He is strongly involved in our laboratory operations and is an expert in both, MC-ICP-MS and TIMS.
DR. ERIN MARTIN
Research Fellow
Erin's work looks into major changes in earth systems, recorded by geochemical proxies, and their links to mantle dynamics.
DR. JACK MULDER
Research Fellow
Jack's main focus is the formation of crust and how this is recorded in detrital sedimentary sequences.
DR. LAURA MILLER
Research Fellow
Laura is a geochemist, specialist in synchrotron techniques, and experimental petrologist whose work focuses on using trace element geochemistry to investigate the evolution of the continental crust.
ALISON DAVIES
PhD candidate
Alison's work circles around the isotope composition of Ag and analytical protocols to improve their measurements. One of her prime goals is the tracing of gold deposits, which often also host silver.
AMREI LADWIG
PhD candidate
Amrei's focus is the formation of the crust in the Archean eon. She is using element and isotope systematics of the Australian Yilgarn and the South African Kaapvaal cratons.
HOSEONG LIM
PhD Candidate
Hoseong is interested in the melting of lower crust in producing melts with a TTG chemistry; now and back then
SASKIA RUTTOR
PhD candidate
Saskia is looking into the evolution of oceanic island in the Tasman Sea and elsewhere. She is using radiogenic and stable isotopes for her research.
BRUNO RIBEIRO
PhD candidate
Bruno's project aims to investigate a Paleo- to Mesoproterozoic terrane in Brazil by applying a multi-disciplinary approach to better constraint its tectonic evolution.
YOUSEF ZOLEIKHAEI
PhD candidate
Yousef explores the detrital record for paleogeographic reconstructions. He uses detrital minerals geochronology and geochemistry for his research.
ZEYNAB GHARAMOHAMMADI
Visiting PhD candidate
Zeynab's project looks into the evolution of the Arabia–Eurasia collision zone in Iran and its broader significance in the process of building the Alpine-Himalayan mountain belt.
ALUMNI
DR. JEAN-FRANÇOIS MOYEN
Visiting Professor
Jeff looks at the geodynamics of the Archaean Earth, the geochemistry
of granitoids and the partial melting processes within the continental
crust
ANNE WHITWORTH
PhD candidate
My project aims to understand the iron isotope geochemistry of jarosite, as well as the behaviour of iron and other trace elements during jarosite recrystallisation.
SCARLETT SOUTHALL
PhD Candidate
Scarlett's project looks into the recrystallization of Fe-oxide minerals to gain a better understanding of metal mobility in laterite ore deposits.
DR. FIONA COUPERTHWAITE
DR. ASHLEA WAINWRIGHT
DR. MARIANNE RICHTER
DR. NICHOLAS GARDINER
DR. PABLO FARIAS
Elisabeth's research focuses on integrating accessory mineral geochronology and trace element chemistry to study the temporal and thermal evolution of crustal rocks.