Dr. Alexandra Phillips

Post-Doctoral (NSF) Fellow

Lena Capece

PhD Student

Website: https://lena-capece.weebly.com

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Lena (she/hers) joined the NOISE lab in September 2019. She is interested in learning about sulfur cycling, carbon storage and microbial-mediated preservation of organic matter in low-oxygen environments such as coastal vegetative habitats and oxygen minimum zones (OMZs). Lena holds a M.S. in Geology from UC Davis where she worked with Dr. Tessa Hill to investigate the sources of organic matter to seagrass sediments in estuaries in California using bulk sediment geochemistry. She received her B.A. in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Wesleyan University (CT) in 2016. Lena can usually be found outside climbing, running or hiking. 

Molly Crotteau

PhD Student

Molly (she/hers) joined the NOISE Lab in September 2021. She studies sulfur cycling and organic matter sulfurization in low-oxygen zones, such as Santa Barbara Basin, and in sinking marine particles. Her research aims to better understand the microenvironments in which organic matter sulfurization can occur, which has applications to determining the magnitude of the effect of organic matter sulfurization on carbon burial. She received her B.S. in Geochemistry and Environmental Science and Engineering from Caltech in 2021. In her free time, you can find Molly running, swimming, or baking.

Caio Gonçalves

Visiting Ph.D Student

Caio (he/his) is a visiting PhD student from Brazil (Sept 2021 – Aug 2022). He received a B.A. in Geology from UFRRJ – Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and an M.S. in Geochemistry from UFF – Universidade Federal Fluminense in 2019. Caio's research uses sedimentary sulfur biogeochemistry (both organic and inorganic fractions, along with isotopes) to understand variations in local redox conditions and bottom water oxygenation on both glacial-interglacial and millennial time scales. Currently, he is investigating sediments from the western-equatorial Atlantic and the consequences of different sedimentary regimes and organic material accumulation rates on their sulfur biogeochemistry. Caio's hobbies include watching horror series and movies, playing video games, and solving Rubik’s cube.

Megan Sun

Undergraduate Researcher

Megan joined the NOISE lab January 2021. She is currently studying  pyrite morphologies and sulfur isotope records in the Monterey Formation, which will help us understand how these unusual, organic-carbon-rich rocks formed. Specifically, Megan's research applies her background in biology to investigate the pyritization and fossilization of sponge spicules, connecting these processes with the sedimentary sulfur cycle using microscopy and maps of sulfur isotopes by SIMS (Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry). In her free time, Megan can be found jamming to a random assortment of music while cooking food for unplanned movie binges.

Imanol Ulloa Gutierrez

Undergraduate Researcher

Imanol is a UC LEADS scholar pursuing a degree in Aquatic Biology and a minor in Earth Science at UCSB. His research investigates the chemistry of organic sulfur in extractable bitumens from Ocean Anoxic Event 2 (~94 million years ago). During his free time, he likes to draw, paint ,and go for walks along the Coal Oil Point Reserve.

Zephyr Girard

Undergraduate Researcher

Zephyr (she/hers) joined the NOISE lab in July 2021.  She is pursuing a B.S in Earth Science with an emphasis in Geology.  Her research investigates the viability of deep sea storage of organic carbon in agricultural residue as a climate change mitigation technique. In the future she hopes to continue to use the subjects that she is passionate about to find creative solutions to the climate crisis.  In her free time Zephyr can be found outside cycling, running or hiking.

Undergraduate Researcher

Undergraduate Researcher