Nina Zeyen
Nina Zeyen received her Bachelor’s degree in geosciences and Master’s degree in Geochemistry from the University Paris Diderot and the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, France. She received her Ph.D. in December 2016 in fundamental geochemistry from the University Pierre et Marie Curie and the Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (Paris, France). Her work was focussed on constraining the respective roles of chemical conditions versus microbial activity in the formation of modern microbialites from Mexican lakes. In 2016-2017, Nina was a lecturer and researcher at the University Pierre et Marie Curie. In 2018-2022, she was a postdoctoral fellow within the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences department at the University of Alberta (Canada) where she worked on mineral carbonation of processed kimberlites from the mining industry. She is now an assistant professor within the section of Earth and Environmental Sciences of the University of Geneva.
Stéphanie Girardclos
Bhagyashree Mishra
I am from Odisha, an eastern state of India. I obtained my Bachelor of Science degree (2019) with major Geology from North Orissa University and my Master of Science degree (2021) in Geology from Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi. Then, I have completed my Master of Technology degree (2023) in Geoexploration from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. My research interest lies in understanding the nanoscale interactions occurring at the water-rock interface and also exploring the dynamic interplay between microorganisms and the surrounding chemical environments. Specifically, I aim to understand both biotic and abiotic mineralization processes, and their significant impact on shaping Earth's biogeochemistry. For my MTech thesis, titled “Role of biotic and abiotic processes in Fe, Mn mobilization during varied mineral/rock alteration”, I conducted both lab experiments and field investigations. After learning valuable skills and gaining experience from my Master’s research, I decided to pursue further research in the field of Biogeochemistry. I am currently a PhD student in the Biogeochemistry group of University of Geneva working on the project titled “Mineralogy and Geochemistry of Modern Lacustrine Microbialites”.
Sumedh Dantale
Meet Sumedh, a first-year master's student from India in the Biogeochemistry research group. He earned his bachelor's in geosciences from Texas Tech University, USA. Sumedh's current research revolves around investigating the mineralogy of ancient Archaean and modern microbialites. His project involves performing chemical characterization using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, as well as optical and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Sumedh’s research aims to improve our understanding of the magnesium and iron silicate phases within these organo-sedimentary structures through the geological record.
Beyond his academic pursuits, Sumedh finds joy in hiking, reading, playing badminton, and learning new things.