Profile

Dr Aubrey Zerkle
Reader; Director of Postgraduate Research

I am a biogeochemist and a PI of the Peter James Clark Centre for Philosophical Geobiology. My primary interests are in the early Earth and extraterrestrial environments.

Research in my group focuses on understanding the co-evolution of life with planetary environments over geologic timescales. We utilize a multi-disciplinary approach, including stable isotope geochemistry, microbiology, trace element and nutrient analyses, to examine these interactions and possible feedbacks in modern and paleo-environments. Current research projects revolve around three broad areas:

1. Investigating feedbacks between the geosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere during important transitions in Earth history, including the Great Oxidation Event, Punctuated Haze Events, and mass extinction events;

2. Examining biogeochemical cycling in extreme environments that act as modern "analogues" to ancient Earth and exoplanetary systems (e.g., euxinic and acidic environments);

3. Establishing and evaluating stable isotope biosignatures for microbial activity, on Earth and beyond.

Recent publications