25 August 2025. Selenium week! Two new papers published, one in JAAS on Se isotope analysis using the Nu Sapphire collision-reaction cell MC-ICP-MS, another in PNAS (led by Kunmanee Bubphamanee at University of Washington) using Se isotopes to show that mid-Devonian deep-ocean oxygenation coincided with colonization of deeper habitats by early vertebrates.
12 August 2025. The European Association of Geochemistry (EAG) ran a blog post about Laura's sampling trip to IFREMER this summer. EAG provided funding to support Laura's travel to collect sediment core samples from the Black Sea with collaborator Dr. Antoine Cremiere.
16 July 2025. Several GAIA Lab members attended the Goldschmidt conference last week to share updates on ongoing projects. Mike and Laura had posters about Se isotope analysis methods, Lexi had a poster about Li in oyster shells, and Chenyi gave a talk that featured his postdoc work on mechanisms of P enrichment in ancient marine sediments.
10 April 2025. Maya Khodabakchian presented her senior thesis work on C and N isotopes in modern cycad foliage under variable CO2 levels. Nice work, Maya!
11 March 2025. Mike received a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation! This will support the group's research on selenium cycling in the ocean.
19 August 2024. Laura Piccirillo joined us from Union College to start her PhD on selenium cycling in modern and ancient seawater. Welcome, Laura!
15 August 2024. Mike went on WUNC to discuss the lab's research on ocean oxygen loss during past global warming events.
25 July 2024. Mass spec move-in day! We finally unboxed the MC-ICP-MS and EA-IRMS and brought them into the lab. Installation begins in a week!
1 July 2024. Our technician and mass spec guru, Rosa Grigoryan, officially joined the lab. Welcome, Rosa! We're lucky to have you here.
6 June 2024. Chenyi Tu (UC Riverside) was awarded a fellowship from the NASA Postdoctoral Program to join our group next year. Congrats, Chenyi! Looking forward to having you join us.
22 May 2024. Grant funded: we will be studying the diagenetic reactions leading to sedimentary phosphorus enrichment with support from the American Chemical Society.
28 December 2023. The mass specs have arrived! The Sapphire MC-ICP-MS and Horizon 2 IRMS will be installed next year.
16 November 2023. Our work on nitrogen isotope analysis of cycad fossils was published in Nature Ecology & Evolution and featured by Duke Today.
15 November 2023. Mike was highlighted in an article about new Duke faculty conducting climate-related research.
1 November 2023. GAIA Lab website is live! Stay tuned as we build an isotope geochemistry lab.