News

Two Cambridge Earth Scientists have been awarded UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships to help them develop innovative research projects.Dr Owen Weller and Dr David Wallis will be working on solutions to some of the world’s key challenges; from developing new technologies to help identify valuable metal deposits required for a low carbon future, to impro…

C&EN, the weekly news magazine of the American Chemical Society (ACS), has unvelied its annual “Talented 12” list.Dr Emilie Ringe, who is jointly based at Cambridge’s Department of Earth Sciences and Materials Science, is recognised for her pioneering work on plasmonic nanoparticles. These miniscule particles act like bright beacons, harnessing an…

CAMBRIDGE -- The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has today released the most extensive report on climate change since 2013. Over the last eight years, scientists have benefited from improved measurements of our climate and more powerful models which are able to simulate future scenarios with increased accuracy. They have also been …

Scientists from Cambridge University and NTU Singapore have found that slow-motion collisions of tectonic plates drag more carbon into Earth’s interior than previously thought. They found that the carbon drawn into Earth’s interior at subduction zones - where tectonic plates collide and dive into Earth’s interior - tends to stay locked away at dept…

Did you know that scientists can use dust trapped on tree leaves to monitor air pollution? Hassan Aftab Sheikh, PhD student in our Department, is developing this monitoring technique further and is also exploring if trees can filter harmful particles from the air. These particles, which measure less than a billionth of a metre, are becoming more co…

Microscopic imperfections in rock crystals deep beneath Earth’s surface play a deciding factor in how the ground slowly moves and resets in the aftermath of major earthquakes, says new research involving the University of Cambridge.The stresses resulting from these defects – which are small enough to disrupt the atomic building blocks of a crystal …

Many congratulations to Dr Sasha Turchyn who is the recipient of the 2021 R. Berner Lectureship. The Lectureship, which will be presented at the Goldschmidt 2021 conference, is awarded to scientists who show an 'exceptional ability to define globally important biogeochemical processes, develop new understanding, and significantly advance the corres…

Grace Campbell, who studied a PhD in seismic hazards with us, was today named one of the 2021 Top 50 Women in Engineering.Grace is an earthquake geologist and remote sensing specialist in Arup‘s Natural Hazard and Risk Management Team.After gaining a Master’s degree in Earth Sciences at UCL, Grace moved to Cambridge to study – firstly for an MPhil …

Carrie Soderman is a third-year PhD student in Geochemistry at the Department of Earth Sciences. Usually, Carrie can be found researching mantle plumes and experimenting on isotopes in the clean lab. But earlier this year Carrie decided to take some time to undertake an internship with the Environmental Audit Committee, a House of Commons Select Co…

Just hours after Dan Roberts, Masters student at Cambridge Earth Sciences, handed in his dissertation on the seismicity of Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland, the volcano in his study area erupted… Dan’s Master’s project used Cambridge-developed software to accurately map out earthquake tremors in the Reykjanes Peninsula – where the ongoing eruption is o…

Geologists at the University of Cambridge have revealed how changes in our Earth’s interior can cause massive upheaval of our planet’s surface over millions of years, profoundly influencing sea levels and the sensitivity of ice sheets to climate change.Their findings, published in Nature Communications earlier this month and presented at this year’…

Dr Ed Tipper has been awarded the prestigious Pilkington Prize in recognition of his teaching excellence.Dr Tipper, who is Lecturer in Earth Sciences and Director of Studies at St John's, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to receive this award. There’s nothing more rewarding than managing to inspire the next generation about the physical, chemical an…

Dr Helen Williams, Reader in Geochemistry, at Cambridge’s Department of Earth Sciences and Fellow of Jesus College, has been awarded a prestigious ERC Advanced Grant to investigate the role of magma oceans in defining Earth’s physical and chemical evolution.Over the next 5 years, Williams and an international team of collaborators will determine ho…

The University of Cambridge is creating a new research initiative, bringing together physicists, chemists, biologists, earth scientists and mathematicians to answer fundamental questions on the origin and nature of life in the Universe.Led by 2019 Physics Nobel Laureate Professor Didier Queloz, the Cambridge Initiative for Planetary Science and Lif…

Dr Emilie Ringe, Lecturer at the Department of Earth Sciences & Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, has been recognised as one of three Journal of Physical Chemistry (JPC) and PHYS Division Lectureship Winners.The Journal of Physical Chemistry – PHYS Division Lectureship Awards honour the contributions of invest…