Dr Marcus Badger

I’m a Lecturer in Earth Sciences in the School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences at The Open University, I am also Visiting Senior Research Associate in the Organic Geochemistry Unit at the University of Bristol. My research concentrates on exploring the links between the Earth’s carbon cycle and climate on Cenozoic timescales, and I deploy a range of tools including organic geochemistry, foraminiferal geochemistry and General Circulation Models.

I graduated from Jesus College, University of Oxford with an MEarthSci (Hons) in Earth Sciences in 2005. Whilst there I worked on the prospects of developing a sea surface temperature proxy using stable strontium isotopes in coccolithophores calcite analysed by multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS). The project was supervised by Dr Ros Rickaby.

In 2005 I moved to the school of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Cardiff University to conduct my doctoral research into middle Miocene climate dynamics, supervised by Dr Carrie Lear (Cardiff) and Prof Rich Pancost (Bristol). Using coupled organic and inorganic climate proxies, I constructed high resolution records of atmospheric pCO₂ (alkenone and boron isotopes) and sea surface temperatures (foraminifera Mg/Ca and alkenone unsaturation indices). These proxy records, coupled with carbon system models and carbonate stable isotopes, allowed me insight into carbon cycle dynamics at a critical interval of major ice sheet growth in Antarctica. My PhD was awarded in 2010.

Following my PhD I moved to the Organic Geochemistry Unit in the School of Chemistry to work with Prof. Rich Pancost as a postdoc. I've worked on a number of grants with Rich, developing records climate and environmental change at various times through the Cenozoic, working mainly with hyphenated techniques (GC-MS, LC-MS, GC-C-IRMS).

In October 2011 I moved to the department of Earth Sciences for a stint as a lecturer, before returning to the OGU to take up a post as a Senior Research Associate in March 2013. Research during this time focussed on terrestrial methane cycling during Paleogene greenhouse climates, which involved collaborative work using the Unified Model with colleagues from the BRIDGE group (Paul Valdes) alongside organic geochemical approaches.

Much of my research focusses on sediments recovered from the ocean floor, and in autumn 2013 I took a short break from the OGU to participate in the TROPICS research expedition aboard the RRS James Cook (pictured above). Details of the expedition can be found here:  http://tropics.blogs.ilrt.org/.

I moved to School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences at The Open University in March 2016.

I went back to sea again in the summer of 2017, this time aboard the RRS Discovery to the Labrador Sea to participate in the European Research Council funded ICY-LAB project lead by Dr Kate Hendry from the University of Bristol. The expedition aims to increase our understanding of nutrient supply in the oceans. More details can be found on the project website: https://icylab.wordpress.com/.

Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his