Research

Our current research activities focus on:

• Composition-structure-property relations in perovskite-type ferroelectrics and in related minerals
• Composition, temperature and pressure dependence of phonons in amphiboles and tourmalines
• Radiation-induced structural damage in metamict minerals
• Biominerals and biocompatible materials for bone implants
• Elastic properties of mineral inclusions in ultrahigh-pressure rocks
• Applications of geochemistry, geochronology and petrology designed to understand and quantify the rates and timescales of geological processes affecting the evolution of the Earth's crust and mantle. Interests include high-temperature processes in varied geological environments, the rates and geochemical consequences of mass transport in the evolving crust, the timing and duration of mountain building and metamorphism in collisional environments
• Application of various isotope systems (U-Pb, Sm-Nd, Rb-Sr, Lu-Hf, Re-Os) in studies of crustal and mantle evolution. This research includes both field and laboratory based analysis
• Characterization of minerals, gemstones and meteorites