People

Prof. Chris Kirkland, Team Leader
Professor Chris Kirkland is leader of the Timescales Group. Chris uses isotope geology to address industry pertinent research questions and reduce exploration risk.

Dr Milo Barham, Senior Research Fellow
Dr Milo Barham uses the detrital record to inform sediment system and crustal dynamics within the framework of tectonomagmatic events controlling mineral systems.

Dr Hugo Olierook, Research Fellow
Dr Hugo Olierook designs, executes and manages geochronology and geochemistry projects for the mining and mineral exploration industry.

Dr Michael Hartnady, Research Associate
Michael uses U-Pb geochronology, Hf and O isotope geochemistry, and structural mapping to investigate the record of magmatism, deformation and fluid flow within Earth’s crust.

Alex Walker, Research Associate
Alex Walker uses multiple sulphur isotope and trace element data to help constrain models of formation and modification of mineral systems.

Dr Matthew Daggitt, Research Assistant
Matthew Daggitt uses computational methods to solve a wide range of geological problems. Matthew develops new software for the geosciences.

Janne Liebmann, PhD student
Janne’s research focuses on a series of global events that occurred 2-3 billion years ago and permanently changed the face of the Earth (e.g. the first significant build-up of oxygen in the atmosphere and the emergence of continents above sea-level).

Maximilian Dröllner, PhD student
Max aims for a reevaluation of the paradigm of heavy mineral sand deposit formation. An attempt will be made to present a universal model of deposit genesis, i.e. quantifying the fundamental geological controls.

Taryn Scharf, PhD Student
Taryn’s research applies geocomputing to the deconvolution of mineral grain histories. This work looks to develop new analytical tools that can be integrated with standard geological approaches for basin analysis and heavy mineral sand exploration.

Andreas Zametzer, PhD student
Andi’s research aims to reduce exploration risk through the application of novel isotope tools (Pb-Pb in K-feldspar and plagioclase, U-Pb and Sr in apatite) to Neoarchean volcano-sedimentary rocks within the Yilgarn Craton in Western Australia, famous for world-class gold deposits.

Isabel Zutterkirch, PhD student
Isabel is conducting research on the provenance of sedimentary rocks in Western Australia addressing their sediment transportation pathways derived from isotope (U-Pb, Lu-Hf, Pb-Pb, (U-Th)/He) fingerprinting.

Gisela Gartmair, MRes student
Gisi’s research combines morphoanalysis with geochronology and geochemistry as a means to identify potential crystalline source regions and likely sediment routings responsible for heavy mineral accumulations along palaeoshorelines of the Eucla Basin, Australia.