Dr. Benjamin Tutolo
Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment | University of Calgary
Earth Science 550, 2500 University Dr. NW
Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4 CANADA
Office: (403) 210-7758
Associate Professor (2021-present), Department of Geoscience
Visiting Professor (2023-2024), Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge and Visiting Fellow (2023-2024), Trinity Hall College
Chair, Ocean Networks Canada Ocean Observatories Council
Secretary, Geochemical Society
Associate Editor, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
Assistant Professor, Department of Geoscience, 2017-2021
Postdoc, University of Oxford, 2015-2017 (In Nick Tosca's Chemical Sedimentology research group)
PhD Geology, University of Minnesota, 2015 (Advised by Bill Seyfried and Martin Saar)
B.S. Environmental Systems Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, 2010
Research interests: I'm a geochemist working to understand how interactions between rocks, water, and gases affect climate, habitability, and life on Earth and Mars.
Dr. Arthi Gopalakrishnan, Eyes High Postdoctoral Scholar
Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment | University of Calgary
Earth Science 570 | 2500 University Dr. NW
Calgary, AB T2N 1N4 CANADA
PhD, Indian Institute of Technology, 2021 Hyderabad/Swinburne University of Technology
MTech, Anna University, 2014
BE, Anna University, 2012
Research interests: Arthi is a University of Calgary Eyes High Postdoctoral scholar working on developing and implementing electrochemical techniques for capturing CO2 from the atmosphere.
Dr. Bohyun Hwang
Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment | University of Calgary
Earth Science 570 | 2500 University Dr. NW
Calgary, AB T2N 1N4 CANADA
PhD, The Ohio State University, 2020
MSc The Ohio State University, 2014
BSc Chungnam National University, South Korea, 2012
Research interests: Bohyun is working to understand the reactive transport processes accompanying basalt carbonation as a climate change solution. She is performing hydrothermal experiments to quantify the rates and mechanisms of these processes, particularly with the intent of understanding how the basalt's history will affect its reactivity.
Dr. Chris Tino
Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment | University of Calgary
Earth Science 570 | 2500 University Dr. NW
Calgary, AB T2N 1N4 CANADA
PhD, University of Califonia Riverside, 2023
BSc, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 2014
Research interests: Chris is working as part of the Mars Science Laboratory team to understand the record of habitability in Gale Crater Mars. To do this, he is using data returned by the Curiosity Rover as well as studies of analogous lakes here on Earth.
Dr. Jaxon Dii Horne
Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment | University of Calgary
Earth Science 570 | 2500 University Dr. NW
Calgary, AB T2N 1N4 CANADA
PhD, University of Massachusetts Boston, 2023
MS, University of Texas at Dallas, 2018
Research Interests: Jaxon is working on a Natural Resources Canada Targeted Geoscience Initiative project to experimentally and numerically examine the processes by which phosphorites of the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin became enriched in Rare Earth Elements. The results of Jaxon's work will help to guide exploration for these critical minerals in western Canada.
Cameron Wood, PhD Student
Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment | University of Calgary
Earth Science 570, 2500 University Dr. NW
Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4 CANADA
Research Interests: Cameron's PhD project will place constraints on Rare Earth Element (REE) enrichments in phosphorites in Canadian sedimentary rocks. Cameron's work is co-supervised by Dr. Steve Grasby from the Geological Survey of Canada, and is funded by GSC through the Research Affiliate Program bursary fund.
Serhat Sevgen, PhD Student
Department of Geoscience | University of Calgary
Earth Science 570, 2500 University Dr. NW
Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4 CANADA
Research Interests: Kinetics of serpentine mineral growth, and serpentinization as a reactive transport process.
Liam Walters, MSc Student
Department of Geoscience | University of Calgary
Earth Science 570, 2500 University Dr. NW
Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4 CANADA
Research Interests: Phosphate dynamics in saline lakes
PhD Student Annabel Long
Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment | University of Calgary
Earth Science 570, 2500 University Dr. NW
Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4 CANADA
Research interests Annabel is working on environments and reactions that may have contributed to the origins of life on Earth. She is specifically developing experiments to explore the dynamcis of phosphorus behavior.
MSc/PhD Student Madeline Bartels
Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment
University of Calgary
Earth Science 542, 2500 University Dr. NW
Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4 CANADA
Research Interests: Maddie is working on mineral carbonation as a climate change solution in collaboration with the Geological Survey of Canada through their Research Affiliate Program bursary. She is using a combination of laboratory experiments, reactive transport models, and high-resolution characterization to examine techniques for enhancing carbon storage in mineral form.
MSc Student Riley McKee
Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment
University of Calgary
Earth Science 542, 2500 University Dr. NW
Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4 CANADA
Research Interests: Riley is working on peridotite carbonation as a climate change solution in collaboration with the Geological Survey of Canada through their Research Affiliate Program bursary. She is developing laboratory experiments to examine techniques for enhancing carbon storage in these rocks
Former Group Members
-Bryan Gonzalez, intern 2023, PURE 2024. Finishing studies in Cellular, Molecular and Microbial Biology at UCalgary
-Ava Taggart, inter 2024. Finishing studies in Chemistry and Geoscience at UCalgary
-Patrick Phelps, Postdoc, 2023. Current Assistant Professor at California State University - Fullerton.
-Christiaan Laureijs, Postdoc 2022-2023. Current Research Associate at Université Laval, Quebec.
-Taylor Smith, MSc, 2023, Thesis title: The effects of water-rock interactions on the permeability of the Precambrian Basement in Southern Saskatchewan. Currently employed in environmental consulting in Calgary.
-Sarah Buck, 2023 GLGY 510 Thesis
-Shafik Vadsariya, MSc, 2023, GLGY 701 Thesis title: Kinetics of basalt dissolution as a result of acid pretreatment. Implications for CO2 storage in Basalts
-Simone Pujatti, PhD, 2023: "The Controls of Porosity on Mineral Alteration Processes in the Shallow Oceanic Lithosphere at Slow-Spreading Ridges."
-Juan Carlos de Obeso, Postdoc. 2020-2022. Current Assistant Prof at University of Utah.
-Daniel Ilg, 2022 NSERC USRA student. Current MSc student at UCalgary.
-Adedapo Awolayo, NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow, 2020-2022. Currently Assistant Professor at McMaster University
-Qin Zhang, PhD, 2022: "From Greensands to Green Technology: Examination of Carbon Dioxide Storage Potential in Glauconitic Sandstones", Postdoc 2022-2023.
-Ian Fleming, 2022 GLGY 510, Thesis Title: Developing a Dataset for Greenalite Kinetics Through Silicon Isotope Doping
-Aaron Irving, 2022 GLGY 509, Thesis Title: Geochemical Characterization of 8 High Arctic Rivers and their Geological Influence. Currently Junior Environmental Geologist at Jacobs Engineering Group.
-Dr. Yury Klyukin, postdoc 2020-2022: Mineralogical scaling in once-through steam generators (OTSGs). Currently employed at Yukon Geological Survey.
-Dr. Alec Hutchings, postdoc 2021: "Do alkaline lakes contribute to Earth's carbon cycle over geologic time?" Currently employed at UK Environment Agency
-Hannah Robutka, BSc, 2021, GLGY 510 Thesis title: "Raman and EMP analysis of spectral shifts due to Fe-Mg content of serpentine"
-Jasmine Chase, BSc, 2021, "A Series of Data-Driven Hypotheses for Inferring Biogeochemical Conditions in Alkaline Lakes and Their Deposits Based on the Behavior of Mg and SiO2" published in Minerals
-Zhengqiang Che, MSc 2021, Thesis title: Probing the application of kinetic theory to Mg-phyllosilicate growth with Si isotope doping
-Brad Earl, BSc 2021,GLGY 510 Thesis title: Method Development in Serpentinite Thermochronology and Geochemistry: Challenges and Opportunities of Magnetite (U/Th)/He Thermochronology and Determination of Ferrous Iron via Coupled ICP-OES and Potentiometric Titration
-Yi Yang, GLGY 701 MSc 2020 Water-alternating-gas injection simulations analyzing the impacts of WAG ratio and WAG cycle on CO2 storage in oceanic basalts
-John Byng, GLGY 509 2020 Kinetic Modelling and Calculation of Anorthite Surface Area
-Aaron Claeys, GLGY 5010 2019-2020 X-ray synchrotron computed microtomography (𝜇-CT) analysis
of the pore network of hydrothermal vent chimneys from the East Pacific Rise
-Calista Brown, USRA researcher summer 2020 project: Carbonation rate sensitivity analysis for CO2 storage seafloor basalts
-Dr. Sofia Escario, postdoc 2019-2020: Currently employed at Orano (France).
-Simone Shelley, GLGY 510 Thesis title: Observing the effects of temperature and magnesium concentration on boiler feed waters in once-through-steam-generators
-Maria Arizaleta, GLGY 510 Thesis title: Experimentally constraining rates of sepiolite growth at ambient conditions
-Chujing Zhang, GLGY 701 Thesis title: Quantifying the effects of dissolved sulphate on the rates and mechanisms of siderite precipitation
-Taylor Kirschner, GLGY 509 Thesis title: Precipitation rates of carbonate minerals at 60 C with varying bottom seawater compositions and labradorite
-Daniela Gutierrez Rueda, GLGY 509 Thesis title: Did phyllosilicate minerals control silica concentrations in Precambrian oceans?
-Justin Koerner, GLGY 509 Thesis title: Sorption behaviour of lithium to gibbsite and kaolinite in relation to pH
-Kai Kokemor, GLGY 509 Thesis title: Replacement reactions and magnetic susceptibility of Oman serpentinites
-Yixuan Zhou, GLGY 701 MSc 2019: Mineralogical constraints on sedimentation in the soda lakes of the Cariboo Plateau, BC
-Dilpreet Khehra, summer 2019 undergraduate student, BSc 2020: Early diagenesis in alkaline lakes
-Karim Kandil, BSc 2021: PURE Project: PFLOTRAN simulations of geothermal energy prospects in western Alberta
-Nolan Mitchell, BSc 2020: PURE Project: Constraining Flow Properties of Sandstones and Dolostones through X -ray Computed Tomography
-Stephen Schroeder, BSc 2019: 510 Thesis title: Laboratory Constraints on the Kinetics of Pyrite Oxidation in Alkaline Waters; NSERC USRA title: Brine Evolution and Major Ion Chemistry Modelling of Saline Lakes in the Cariboo Plateau, British Columbia
-Adam Mitton, BSc 2019: 509 Thesis title: Experimental Examination of the Coupled Dissolution-Precipitation Kinetics of Ca-feldspar and Calcite at 80°C
-Lexi Holmes, MSc (course-based) Class of 2018, MSc Thesis title: The characterization and geochemical modeling of black smoker chimney structures from 9°50' N, East Pacific Rise
-Alicia Perkins, University of Calgary Class of 2018, 610 Thesis Title: Increased Solubility of Quartz: How Organic Compounds Interact with Silica in the Subsurface to Increase Complexation and Dissolution
-Jenna Helmer, University of Calgary Class of 2018, Undergraduate Honors Thesis title: Experimental reexamination of sorption control on seawater silica concentrations in the Precambrian
-Lingyan Luo, University of Calgary University of Calgary Class of 2019, GLGY 509 Thesis title: Constraining rates of silica diagenesis using laboratory experiments