I am currently an M.S. candidate in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Wyoming. Advised by Dr. John Kaszuba, I work in the hydrothermal laboratory studying multiphase (CO2-H2O) fluid-rock reactions in the Earth's crust. I use experimental hydrothermal and stable isotope geochemistry to solve field-related problems than span the range of topics from unconvential reservoirs to carbon storage systems to geothermal systems and beyond.
Currently I am working on a project that assesses the utility of using carbon stable isotopes as tracers of CO2 that has been injected into the subsurface. CO2 is injected into the shallow crust for a variety of reasons including enhanced oil recovery, enhanced gas recovery, and carbon sequestration. Once the CO2 is injected, it has the potential to interact with host rocks and formation waters in a variety of ways including dissolution and/or precipitation of minerals. The goal of my project is to better define a method for using stable isotopes to understand the fate of CO2 once it has been injected into the subsurface.