Dorrit Jacob

Biography

Dorrit Jacob joined the Department as an ARC Future Fellow in 2013 and was promoted to Full Professor in 2016. She studied Mineralogy and Geology at Johannes-Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany and obtained a Dr. rer. nat. from the Georg-August University in Göttingen (Germany). Both, Diploma and PhD Thesis were undertaken and supervised at the Max-Planck Insitute for Chemistry in Mainz. Dorrit worked at the Ernst Moritz-Arndt University in Greifswald (Germany) before returning to the University in Mainz for her Habilitation. She held a position as DFG Heisenberg Professor at the Johannes Gutenberg-University before coming to Macquarie University. Dorrit is also a fully trained chemical lab technician (CTA).

Research Interest

Dorrit applies geochemical and mineralogical tools to two research fields in low- and high-temperature geochemistry. Her main interest lies in deciphering the code of carbonate biominerals (mussel shells, foraminifera, etc.) which are used for paleoclimate reconstructions, but can act very stubbornly when asked to release consistent information. Her second research field for now more than 20 years is the geochemistry and petrology of mantle xenoliths and diamonds brought up from the subcratonic lithosphere by kimberlites. She is an expert in radiogenic isotope and trace element chemistry and more recently added spectroscopic methods to her portfolio.