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Department of Earth Sciences

 

Artisits impression of how planets commonly orbit the stars in the Milky Way Wikipedia commons ESO M Kornmesser

Our researchers investigate Earth’s origins and its evolution into the dynamic, habitable planet it is today. We apply many of the same tools and techniques used to understand the Earth to study meteorites, other planets in our Solar System, and even exoplanets and their atmospheres.


At Cambridge, our research investigates how the Earth and other planets work—from their deep interiors to their surface environments and surrounding atmospheres.

We are interested in Earth’s first 500 million years, from the origin of the Earth’s magnetic field to the cooling and crystallization of Earth’s ancient magma ocean, the formation of Earth’s inner structure and the development of plate tectonics.

Additionally, we are conducting foundational planetary science. We study planetary magnetism, planetesimal differentiation, and sedimentary environments in the case of Mars. We search for Earth-like exoplanets and investigate the ice-covered moons of the Solar System. We also explore which meteorites accreted to form Earth and other planets using isotope tracers.

We are proud to be one of the lead institutions in Cambridge’s Leverhulme Centre for Life in the Universe, a cross-departmental centre bringing together interdisciplinary researchers from Cambridge’s Cavendish Laboratory, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Institute of Astronomy, Department of Zoology, Department of History and Philosophy of Science, Faculty of Divinity, and the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology to explore the origins of life in our solar system and beyond. 


People specializing in this area

Academic Staff
Name Office phone Email address
Professor Marie Edmonds FRS +44 (0) 1223 333463 marie.edmonds@esc.cam.ac.uk
Professor Richard Harrison +44 (0) 1223 333475 rjh40@esc.cam.ac.uk
Dr Quentin Kriaa qk207@cam.ac.uk
Professor John F. Rudge +44 (0) 1223 765545 jfr23@cam.ac.uk
Dr Nicole Shibley nicole.shibley@damtp.cam.ac.uk
Professor Oliver Shorttle +44 (0) 1223 768328 os258@cam.ac.uk
Professor Edward Tipper +44 (0) 1223 333451 ett20@cam.ac.uk
Prof Helen M. Williams +44 (0) 1223 333411 hmw20@cam.ac.uk
Professor Andy Woods +44 (0) 1223 765702 andy@bpi.cam.ac.uk
Research Staff
Name Office phone Email address
Elsa Amsellem eda27@cam.ac.uk
Dr Sukalpa Chatterjee +44 (0) 1223 333424 sc2562@cam.ac.uk
Dr Ross Findlay arwf2@cam.ac.uk
Dr Justin Hu jh2363@cam.ac.uk
Dr. Rayssa Martins rm2185@cam.ac.uk
Dr William McMahon wjm39@cam.ac.uk
Dr Joshua Shea jjs83@cam.ac.uk
Dr Po-Yen Tung pyt21@cam.ac.uk
All members of the Department
Name Office phone Email address
Elsa Amsellem eda27@cam.ac.uk
Dr Sukalpa Chatterjee +44 (0) 1223 333424 sc2562@cam.ac.uk
Professor Marie Edmonds FRS +44 (0) 1223 333463 marie.edmonds@esc.cam.ac.uk
Dr Ross Findlay arwf2@cam.ac.uk
Professor Richard Harrison +44 (0) 1223 333475 rjh40@esc.cam.ac.uk
Dr Justin Hu jh2363@cam.ac.uk
Dr Quentin Kriaa qk207@cam.ac.uk
Dr. Rayssa Martins rm2185@cam.ac.uk
Dr William McMahon wjm39@cam.ac.uk
Professor John F. Rudge +44 (0) 1223 765545 jfr23@cam.ac.uk
Dr Joshua Shea jjs83@cam.ac.uk
Dr Nicole Shibley nicole.shibley@damtp.cam.ac.uk
Professor Oliver Shorttle +44 (0) 1223 768328 os258@cam.ac.uk
Professor Edward Tipper +44 (0) 1223 333451 ett20@cam.ac.uk
Dr Po-Yen Tung pyt21@cam.ac.uk
Prof Helen M. Williams +44 (0) 1223 333411 hmw20@cam.ac.uk
Professor Andy Woods +44 (0) 1223 765702 andy@bpi.cam.ac.uk