Stuart M. V. Gilfillan

Research Positions

The role of natural tracers in CO₂ storage and monitoring

The key aim of this fellowship project is to identify and quantify how natural tracers could be used to monitor future engineered CO₂ storage sites. I am mostly working with Prof. Stuart Haszeldine at the University of Edinburgh and Dr. Fin Stuart at the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre (SUERC).

2006 - 2009: Postdoctoral Research Assistant, University of Edinburgh (2 years) University of Glasgow (1 year)

Investigating CO₂ storage and migration in natural analogues and the implications for engineered CO₂ storage

• Principle Investigators Prof. Stuart Haszeldine (University of Edinburgh) and Dr. Zoe Shipton (University of Glasgow).
• A full time postdoctoral research assistant post funded by the UK Consortium on Carbon Capture and Storage (UKCCSC) project as part of the Towards a Sustainable Energy Economy (TSEC) programme by NERC.
• Predominantly desk based project building on previous PhD study. Extended the investigation of noble gas and carbon isotopic tracers of CO₂ stored to additional natural CO₂ reservoirs from around the world.
• Project primary focused on identifying the long term storage mechanisms of CO₂ contained in natural CO₂ reservoirs and the identification of likely CO₂ leakage pathways from the reservoirs to the surface.
• Planned and implemented two fieldtrips to for specialist sample collection:
• October 2006: Four week sampling programme collecting water and gas samples from UT and AZ.
• July 2007: One week trip collecting water and gas samples from natural CO2 springs in central Italy.

Academic Education and Qualifications

Deep Magmatic Degassing and the Colorado Uplift

• Supervisor: Prof. Chris Ballentine
• A geochemical investigation into the source and composition of CO₂ from natural reservoirs and springs from the four corners region of the USA, using noble gas and carbon stable isotope tracers.
• Planned and implemented two fieldtrips to the US for specialist sample collection:
• May - June 2003: Four week trip collecting samples from producing gas fields in CO, UT, AZ and NM
• July 2004: 10 day trip to collect spring samples from the Green River region, UT.

1998 - 2002: BSc (Hons) Earth Sciences (2.1), University of Glasgow

• An extensive four year course covering all aspects of Earth Science including hard and soft rock geology, glaciology, quaternary science and environmental chemistry. Included extensive supervised fieldwork in the UK and Europe. During the course I completed;
• Four weeks of independent field work in the Assynt region of Northwest Scotland.
• Dissertation focused on the application of structural geological principles to glacier deformation and involved three weeks of supervised fieldwork on the Tungnaarjökull region situated on Iceland's Vatnajökull icecap.

• A level: Biology, A, Chemistry, C, Physics, B.
• A/S Level: Mathematics, C, Physics, A.
  

Relevant Employment

2002 - 2005: Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Manchester

• Assisted with teaching of laboratory practicals in the subjects of geochemistry, lithopsheric processes, structural geology, mapping and field techniques. Demonstrated all aspects of geology on undergraduate fieldtrips to France, Tenerife and North Wales.

2003 - 2005: Resource Submitter, PSIgate, University of Manchester

• Employed on a casual basis by the Physical Sciences Information Gateway to find, catalogue and submit high quality resources to the PSIgate Catalogue. PSIgate provides free access to high quality Internet resources for students, researchers and practitioners in: astronomy, chemistry, earth sciences, physics, science history and policy.

2000 and 2002: Soil and Sediment Sampler, British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham

• Employed for a total of 13 weeks over two summers as a voluntary worker to collect soil and river sediment samples as part of the BGS Geochemical baseline survey project (G-BASE). Worked in the urban regions of Coventry and Glasgow and rural areas of Norfolk, Devon and Cornwall.
  

Academic Responsibilities:

2008 - Present: Founding Member and Co-Chair of the School of GeoSciences Research Staff Organisation

2007 - Present: Organiser of the Research Seminar Series for the Earth and Planetary Science Research Group at the School of GeoSciences

Professional Memberships:

2002 - Present: Fellow of the Geological Society of London

2004 - Present: Member of the American Geophysical Union

2005 - Present: Member of the Geochemical Society

Other Interests:

2007: Mountain Leader Award

1996 - 2002: Duke of Edinburgh Scheme: Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards

Memberships:

2006 - Present: University of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh Award Group (Award Leader)

2006 - Present: University of Edinburgh Cycling Club