Current topics
1. Determine how pallasite meteorites material formed in the interior of small terrestrial planetesimals at the onset of the solar system. The study is a collaboration with Prof. Golabek and Dr. Marcel Thielmann (BGI Bayreuth), and with Dr. Nicolas Walte (Technical University Munich - FRM II).
2. Define the potential for Energy Critical Metal resources in the British Isles, focusing on "The British Lake District" and "Northern Pennine Orefield". MSc by Research project concluded Feb. 2019 (Mr. Nathan Westwood), PhD project starting Sep. 2019 (Mr. Adam Eskdale).
3. Define the source of Cu deposits from key localities across southern Ireland. Central to this is determining whether there is a genetic link between the well-known Cu deposits of SW Ireland and those of the southern sector of the Irish Midland Orefield. This study is a collaboration with Dr. Patrick Meere and Dr. Richard Unitt (University College Cork, Ireland), and with Dr. Sean Johnson (iCRAG).
4. Define the evolution of the microstructure of silicate-melt and silicate-metal melt aggregates down to the grain boundary scale for static and dynamic annealing conditions. This study is a collaboration with Dr. Saswata Hier-Majumder (Royal Holloway), and (informally) Prof. David Kohlstedt (University of Minnesota).
More Research Interests
Investigate the structure of hydrous granite melts and silicate-rich fluids using high energy XRD and enlighten the local structure of metals in hydrous melts and silicate-rich fluids by mean of XAS. Dissolution and thermal reduction of metal oxides at sub- and supercritical conditions in water dominated solutions.
Bubble
nucleation, growth, and coalescence in rhyolite and dacite magmas
observed via in-situ experimentation with a Hydrothermal Diamond Anvil
Cell.
Study of partially molten systems, definition of the structure of volatile-bearing (e.g. H2O, CO2, S, etc.) silicate melts and high-solute-rich fluids and investigation of dissolution of mineral phases in sub- and super-critical fluids.