Lauren Geiser

Lauren Geiser

Profile

I am an interdisciplinary scientist with background in biology, chemistry, mathematics, and sustainability. I completed my undergraduate degree in the United States, my masters degree in Scotland, and am now working towards my PhD in England.

My project explores the growth rate, age, and longevity of deep-sea bivalve communities in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), a 4000-6000m deep abyssal plane in the Pacific Ocean. The CCZ contains the highest concentrations of polymetallic nodules which are being targeted by deep-sea mining for nickel, copper, cobalt, manganese, and rare earth elements. I am using sclerochronological techniques to analyse the internal growth patterns of bivalve shells that live amongst these nodules.

I am also a founding member of the LUU Womxn in STEM society.

Research interests

  • Deep-sea mining & its environmental impacts
  • Marine biology & oceanography
  • Conchology & malacology
  • Sclerochronology
  • Environmental ecology

Qualifications

  • MSc Sustainability: Environmental Modelling - University of Dundee, 2021
  • BS Biology - University of Dayton, 2019
  • BS Mathematics - University of Dayton, 2019
  • Minor Chemistry - University of Dayton, 2019

Research groups and institutes

  • Earth Surface Science Institute
  • Palaeo@Leeds
  • water@leeds