Dr. Andrea Erhardt, Principal Investigator and Director

I have applied geochemical techniques to a range of paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic questions. As such, I have worked in a range of trace element and isotope systems, including lead, calcium, strontium, molybdenum, carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen.  My current interests involve carbonate diagenesis and high resolution analysis of carbonate chemistry through laser ablation and microprobe studies. My students and I are utilizing isotopes to address geochemical questions on topics including paleoceanography, environmental geochemistry, diagenesis, petroleum geology, groundwater methane, and speleothems. Visit my research website at andreaerhardt.com for more information!

Dr. Aaron Shultis, Research Facility Manager

Aaron has over 15 years of isotope lab experience, including soils, nitrates, phosphates, and noble gases.  Reach out to him with laboratory questions and sample submissions. aaron.shultis@uky.edu

Elizabeth Avery, PhD Student

I received an M.S. from California State University, East Bay in 2013. The focus of my research there was using natural and introduced tracers to explore surface water – groundwater interaction in the Sierra Nevada. In the fall of 2017, I entered the PhD program in Earth and Environmental Sciences at University of Kentucky. My current research uses reactive transport modeling to examine the effects of fluid injection in the San Andres formation.

Alex Reis, PhD Student

My geoscience experience has focused primarily on paleoceanography and sedimentary geochemistry. My interest in the subject stems from my time as a student lab assistant and laboratory manager in the Fisk Laboratory of Sedimentology at the University of Cincinnati. Through this position, I was able to analyze and interpret several data sets from around the globe, primarily focusing on the Permian-Triassic Boundary in East Greenland and the Late Pennsylvanian Mid-continent Sea in Kansas and Iowa.Following my graduation and a year working as an environmental consultant, I have returned to the field of paleoceanography, this time honing in on the Midland Basin.  My current focus involves using stable isotopes and bulk rock geochemistry to understand the processes leading to dolomitization in the Wolfcamp Formation.