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Dr. Chris Parendo (PhD Harvard, 2021) specializes in applying novel isotope-ratio measurements and geochemical modeling to investigate various geological processes. During his PhD at Harvard University, he developed optimized procedures for analysis of K isotopes by MC-ICPMS, and he examined material transport in subduction zones by completing K-isotope studies on hydrothermally altered ocean crust, marine sediments, and island-arc lavas. As a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard, he produced Ca-isotope and elemental datasets on refractory inclusions (CAIs) in meteorites, and he employed kinetic-equilibrium modeling to elucidate physical and chemical conditions in the early solar nebula. In the Spring of 2024, he will join the Jacobson lab as a postdoctoral scholar, where he will develop numerical models for CO2 removal (CDR) by Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW), as well as undertake basic science investigations to test whether high-precision Ca isotope measurements can improve measurement, reporting, and verification criteria for tracking CDR by ERW.

Dr. Anna Waldeck (PhD Harvard, 2021) uses novel stable isotope tools to understand climate- and geobiology-related processes that shape our world. During her dissertation research, she generated triple oxygen isotope records of sulfate minerals to track atmospheric pO₂ across the last 550 million years. Between 2021 and 2023, Anna was appointed as an Ubben Carbon and Climate Postdoctoral Fellow at Northwestern University (funding from Trienens Institute of Sustainability and Energy, formerly ISEN), where she measured calcium and strontium isotopes across Cretaceous Ocean Anoxic Events to understand marine responses in a high-pCO₂ world. Currently, Anna is an Agouron Geobiology Postdoctoral Fellow, working to apply multiple stable isotope systems (δ^44/40Ca-δ^88/86Sr, and dual clumped isotopes) to understand modern carbonate mineral formation in Green Lake, NY. Anna is jointly appointed between Northwestern University and Penn State University, where she is being advised by Prof. Miqeula Ingalls. Anna is currently in-residence in the Ingalls Lab.

Chuyan’s research focuses on using the novel δ^44/40Ca-δ^88/86Sr multi-proxy to reconstruct paleoenvironmental conditions, as well as constrain the fidelity of geochemical signal preservation in the carbonate rock record. She is currently working to understand the causes and consequences of Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a (~120 Ma) and the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum (~56 Ma).

Jonathan is a sophomore studying earth science, biology, and environmental science. His research centers on micropaleontology and its paleoclimatic applications. He is currently working on stable Ca measurements of foraminifera across the Aptian-Albian (~113 Ma), an interval associated with Oceanic Anoxic Event 1b and mass extinction among planktic forams. Jonathan hopes that his work in paleontology and paleoclimate can help to uncover new insights into modern climate change.

Suyang is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Earth and Planetary Science. His research aims to construct a new high-precision Ca isotope record across Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (~92 Ma), using bulk carbonate sediments sampled from a new core drilled by the USGS in the Western Interior Seaway.

Jordan is studying Enhanced Rock Weathering in collaboration with scientists in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and The Chicago Botanic Garden.