Nina Golombek

Originally from Berlin (Germany), Nina received both her B.Sc. in Geosciences and M.Sc. in Geology from University of Potsdam working on fluvial organic carbon transport in a lowland river system (Rio Bermejo) in Argentina in collaboration with the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ). She then moved to Halifax (Canada) and graduated in April 2024 with a Ph.D. degree in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Dalhousie University working on amino acid-specific isotope analysis in marine sediments from continental margins.  This work uses amino acid stable isotopes as a proxy to improve the understanding of organic nitrogen transformation/alteration processes during sinking, sedimentation and ultimate burial of particulate organic matter.  

Since May 2024 she has been working as a postdoctoral researcher with Daniel Stolper (EPS) and Todd Dawson (IB). Her current research focuses on 'clumped isotope' analysis of methoxyl groups extracted from wood lignin. Isotopic clumping in wood has recently been shown to be a proxy for photorespiration, which in turn, is important for understanding climate change and the responses of terrestrial plants to increasing levels of atmospheric CO₂. This research aims to understand the 'isotopic clumping' in (a) different tree tissues, (b) trees grown in different environments/conditions, and (c) throughout the lifetime of long-living trees like redwoods or giant sequoias.