Dr. Maxwell Marzban Thiemens

My primary research interests involve using the geochemical toolbox to investigate planetary history.To do this, I have used diverse chemical and isotopic systems to study the Earth, Moon, and solar system. I've used the carbon, oxygen, neodymium, titanium, zinc, copper, and iron isotope systems to learn about the events which have affected a given sample. These can include their formation and alteration. To figure out the timeline of these events, I have used the lutetium-hafnium, samarium-neodymium, and rubidium-strontium decay systems. While these systems date when a sample formed, they can be reset by heating events, letting us time when they have been altered.While my current research is cosmochemistry, I have worked on lunar samples, meteorites, cap carbonates from the "snowball Earth," microorganisms, and Earth mantle rocks. As such, my research interests span from the origins of the solar system to the modern day.The techniques I use include multicollector inductively coupled mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography mass spectrometry, and thermal ionization mass spectrometry.