Research Technician, Marine Palynolgy And Paleoceanography
Utrecht Area, Netherlands
I have been working as a research technician for the Marine Palynology and Paleoceanography group.Within various reseach projects of Prof. Dr. Sluijs and Prof. Dr. Gert-Jan Reichart, I have worked on the development of a nano-combustion elemental analyzer for stable carbon isotopes. This new approach enables the measurement of stable carbon isotopes on single palynomorphs such as dinoflagellate cysts, pollen grains and spores. These analyses can be applied to study marine carbon cycling and ocean acidification in the geological past, thereby learning more about extreme climate events, climate sensitivity and tipping points. My tasks included the development, testing and maintenance of our LA-nC-GC-IRMS setup, sample preparation, assisting researchers and students, and studying various samples. Other occupations mainly consist of laboratory work for organic geochemical analyses (ASE, Soxhlet, TEX86, MBT/CBT, etc.), bulk stable carbon isotope analyses and scanning electron microscopy.