Juliet did her MSc in Geology, looking at past sea level change recorded in marine sediments from the Wanganui Basin.

“The fantastic thing about Geology is even though the rocks we study hold a record of what has happened in the past, analysing these records and the processes behind them has huge application and benefit to understanding how our environment is changing today and how it might do in the future.

“New Zealand really is one of the best places in the world to study Geology—we have it all, from volcanoes, earthquakes, mountains, rivers, ice, all kinds of rocks—and the University is right in the middle of it all!”

While at Victoria University of Wellington, Juliet also worked on soils from the Dry Valley in Antarctica as part of a Summer Research Scholarship.

I have broad research interests but they are all related to how we can use sediments and sedimentary rocks to better understand sedimentary processes and past environments that have existed on Earth.

Sedimentary rocks hold a vast amount of detailed information about the history of environmental change ranging from past climate, tectonics, oceans, atmospheres, geography and lifeforms. Studying sedimentary rocks layer by layer is like reading the history of the planet written in the rock record and allows us to understand how the ‘Earth System’ operates.

I have been involved in a wide range of projects ranging from ancient glacial deposits in Antarctica to volcanic debris flows on Mt Taranaki. Students studying sedimentary geology gain a hands-on insight into how many fundamental natural processes shape our planet and develop skills that are applicable to both industry and academia.

I supervise postgraduate students working on research projects including organising frequent field work. I'm also active in supporting the Victoria student Geological Society through field trips and social events.