Blog posts

ESE Spotlight: Andrianirina Rakotoharisoa on monitoring CO2 with the help of satellites and AI

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Meet Andrianirina Rakotoharisoa, PhD candidate at the Department of Earth Science and Engineering (ESE) at Imperial. In this blog post, Adrianirina discusses his PhD journey at ESE so far, and how his work on monitoring CO2 emissions will hopefully contribute to more effective policy development in the future.

Describe your PhD project in a tweet:

I am trying to improve the monitoring of corporate greenhouse gas emissions by coupling satellite data with machine learning.

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ESE Spotlight: Monica Mccall on biochar and climate change

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COP29 kicks off next week, and as global leaders prepare to gather in Azerbaijan, finding innovative solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change remains more crucial than ever. Here at Imperial’s Department of Earth Science and Engineering, PhD student Monica Mccall is working to better understand the production of biochar – a material that can help combat climate change by contributing to long-term carbon sequestration and improving soil health for more sustainable agriculture.

In this blog post, Monica explains how her innovative research – which involves applying geoscience techniques as part of new strategies within the biochar field – could help pave the way for a more sustainable future for our planet.

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ESE Spotlight: Gabriel Lipkowitz, Applied Computational Science and Engineering MSc alumnus

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Gabriel Lipkowitz graduated from the Department of Earth Science and Engineering‘s Applied Computational Science and Engineering MSc programme in 2020. He is now completing a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University. Gabriel is now an incoming assistant professor at the National University of Singapore in the Division of Industrial Design.

In this blog, Gabriel looks back at his time at Imperial and explains how the ACSE MSc programme helped shape his academic career.

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Fossil Micrometeorites: Ancient Cosmic Dust and Where to Find Them

Did you know that most of the material delivered to Earth from space comes in the form of microscopic “cosmic dust”? These tiny extra-terrestrial particles exist everywhere in the solar system – from small grains in the asteroid belt, to spacedust in the zodiacal cloud (a faint glow that can be seen from Earth at night), and even in the icy rings of Saturn.

A single speck of cosmic dust could record evidence of large-scale astrophysical events like nearby rocky collisions, so how do scientists interrogate these tiny time capsules? In this blog, ESE PhD student, Isabelle S. Mattia explores the wonderous world of space dust further…

Meteoroids burning up as they enter Earth’s atmosphere. Image credit: Britannica.
Meteoroids burning up as they enter Earth’s atmosphere. Image credit: Britannica.

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ESE Spotlight: Banusha Kugabalan on stress and shock effects in rock magnetism

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Banusha Kugabalan is a PhD candidate at the Department of Earth Science and Engineering (ESE) at Imperial. Her work revolves around stress signals in rocks, that occur after ‘shock events’ (like meteorite impacts and earthquakes) causing the magnetic minerals in rocks to align with the magnetic field and record the stress field.

Researchers like Banusha can study magnetic signatures to learn about past impacts and earthquakes on Earth and other planets.

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ESE Spotlight: Mark Boyd on tiny dust grains across space and Earth

Picture of Mark Boyd, next to his picture, his title: Planetary Science PhD candidate
Mark Boyd is a PhD candidate at the Department of Earth Science and Engineering (ESE) at Imperial. He studies tiny, spherical dust grains found in space and on Earth. These ‘microspherules’ hold clues to help us better understand ancient environments and climates.

In this ESE blog post, Mark tells us more about what inspired him to pursue his PhD and shares his hopes for the potential of his research.

Describe your PhD project in a tweet:

I study the tiny to understand the huge – micro-sized, spherical dust grains (including extra-terrestrial material called micrometeorites) that hold clues about planetary and environmental processes.

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ESE Spotlight: Amelie Roberts on the hunt for past life on Mars

Picture of Amelie Roberts, next to her title: Planetary Science PhD candidate
Meet Amelie Roberts, a passionate PhD candidate at the Department of Earth Science and Engineering (ESE) at Imperial. She is studying the processes that shaped ancient Mars to unearth clues about its past habitability. Using a blend of rover exploration and satellite analysis, Amelie’s research will help us better understand the Red Planet (and our own!) and whether it was once able to harbour life.

In this ESE blog post, Amelie takes us on a journey through her academic journey so far, sharing her motivations, advice, and insights into her experience as a planetary scientist on the frontier of discovery.

Describe your PhD project in a tweet:

I explore ancient environments on Mars by analysing sedimentary deposits using rovers and satellites.

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ESE Spotlight: Sandra Alarcón, Metals and Energy Finance MSc student

Profile picture of Sandra Alarcon Escobar, Metals and Energy Finance MSc student.
Sandra is completing an MSc in Metals and Energy Finance at the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial. With more than a decade of experience in the natural resources and energy sectors, she joined Imperial in October 2023, after being awarded the BMO Scholarship for Women in Metals and Energy Finance.

This Scholarship has been offered by ESE for nine consecutive years and provides financial aid to help students who demonstrate exceptional academic merit and/or potential continue with their studies, and support equality, diversity, and inclusion by helping these students get on a path to success.

In this interview, we find out more about Sandra’s experience at Imperial so far, her career journey, what led her to the MSc in Metals and Energy Finance, and her advice for students thinking of applying for the course next year.

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ESE Spotlight: Mandy Li, Metals and Energy Finance MSc alumna

Picture of Mandy Li from graduation, alumna from the Metals and Energy Finance MSc.

Mandy Li completed an MSc in Metals and Energy Finance at the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial, where she developed technical and financial skills that apply to the appraisal of mining and energy projects.

She was awarded the Women in Mining UK scholarship for Women in Metals and Energy Finance in 2021, and she is currently working as an Analyst at Resource Capital Funds. In this blog post, we find out more about Mandy’s experience at Imperial, and how it helped her in her career journey.

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ESE Spotlight: Dr Joel Davis on the geology of Mars

A picture of Joel Davis next to the text 'Joel Davis, Lecturer in Planetary Science'

Dr Joel Davis is a Lecturer in Planetary Science at the Department of Earth Science and Engineering (ESE). As a planetary geologist, Joel studies different planetary surface processes, but his major focus is the geology of Mars.

He seeks to understand ancient and modern geological environments on the red planet – to uncover when and how quickly the climate in Mars ‘dried out’, leading it to become ‘hyperarid’. His research also focuses on different arid environments on Earth, how climate change is affecting them, and how these can be used as an analogue for other planets.

Joel is involved in several ongoing and upcoming space missions for NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), including NASA’s Curiosity rover, the HiRISE and CaSSIS instruments – two high-resolution cameras, 400 km above the surface of Mars. He is also a Co-Investigator for the PanCam instrument on the ESA’s upcoming ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover mission.

In this blog post, Joel tells us more about himself, his research interests and why he decided to join ESE.

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