Professor Nicholas Tosca

I am a geochemist and mineralogist broadly interested in the relationships between natural fluids, minerals, and environmental conditions. Molecular-scale interactions between minerals and fluids drive many aspects of how our planet behaves as an integrated system, both today and in the distant past. My research applies aqueous geochemistry and mineralogy to understand the processes that shape planetary surfaces and their environments through time. The tools we use allow us to quantify and predict the response of Earth’s surface and subsurface to natural and anthropogenic disequilibria, and are applicable across a wide range of natural systems and pressing scientific problems, including global element cycles, planetary climate dynamics, and the habitability of modern and ancient environments.

Our group integrates theory, experiments, and field-based observations to address problems including the co-evolution of seawater chemistry and climate through Earth’s history; the environmental conditions that promoted the synthesis of molecular building blocks at the origin of life; the chemical evolution of natural waters on modern Earth; and the reconstruction of ancient environmental conditions on the surface of Mars. We work in a highly collaborative environment with chemists, climate scientists, geologists, and engineers, and are involved in research efforts including the Leverhulme Centre for Life in the Universe, the Origins Federation, and the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission.

In developing projects with prospective PhD students, I am interested in research that addresses fundamental problems across the Earth and planetary sciences, including (but not limited to) aqueous geochemistry, mineralogy, Earth history, planetary science, and the origins of life on Earth. Regardless of topic, I am especially interested in projects with a strong geochemical and mineralogical component. Projects may involve any combination of experimental, theoretical, analytical, or field-based approaches, depending on the problem being addressed and the student’s interests.