My fascination with Earth’s past climate events and its impact on landscapes and biota began during my master’s studies at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. Intrigued by mass extinction events, particularly the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction (66 Ma), which involved the extinction of the dinosaurs, I delved into exploring the paleoenvironmental implications of Deccan volcanism and its possible role in the mass extinction event. For this purpose, I applied an array of geochemical proxies, including stable isotopes of oxygen and deuterium on smectite, a clay mineral typically formed under seasonal rainfall and arid to semi-arid climatic conditions. I also obtained paleosol bulk rock and clay mineralogy using X-ray Diffraction, along with major and trace element composition using X-ray Fluorescence, to calculate weathering indices such as the Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA), the Chemical Index of Weathering (CIW) and Mean Annual Precipitation (MAP). These geochemical analyses were carried out on ‘Red Boles’. Red Boles are red (as the name suggests) clay rich sediments formed by the weathering of basalts, an igneous rock, during periods of volcanic inactivity.

This formative experience not only honed my analytical skills but also sparked a deep interest in the evolution of landscapes over geological timescales. Following this path, I pursued a doctorate in Earth Sciences at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, where I specialized in exploring climate controls on fluvial systems by carrying out paleohydraulic (water discharge, sediment flux and riverbed slope) reconstructions at the 400 Kyr Milankovitch (eccentricity) cycle timescale. Paleohydraulic reconstructions were combined with geochemical proxy data across the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO), a transient global warming event at 40 Ma, to obtain one of the first terrestrial record of the MECO from the fluvial Escanilla Formation at Olson, situated in the southern Pyrenees, Spain.

Currently, as a Postdoctoral Fellow at The University of Texas at Austin, I have extended my research to encompass other Cenozoic hyperthermals, such as the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) and Early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO) in the Wilcox Group, along the Texas Gulf Coast, USA. Sedimentological and geochemical characterization of the Wilcox Group will also assist in the potential development of geothermal and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) potential within the State of Texas. I am also directly responsible for any administrative duties associated with my project.

In conclusion, I am a sedimentary geologist specializing in the application of geochemical proxies to link Earth system processes to climate variables.