Dr Xi (Helen) Chen

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Post-Doctoral Research Assistant

A photo of Xi (Helen) Chen where she is stood outside against a backdrop of the Houses of Parliament in London.
Profile picture of A photo of Xi (Helen) Chen where she is stood outside against a backdrop of the Houses of Parliament in London.
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Xi (Helen) Chen is a Post-Doctoral Research Assistant within the School of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton. She holds a PhD from University College London and MSc from Imperial College London

Helen’s doctoral research focused on weathering proxy studies, particularly Sr and Li isotopes in Precambrian marine carbonate rocks. Her PhD project encompassed three main aspects: compilation and update of the Sr isotope database for the entire Precambrian seawater, proposing an improved seawater Sr isotope curve; development of leaching techniques tailored for extracting Sr isotopes from previously overlooked argillaceous and dolomitic limestones, broadening accessibility for Sr isotope studies across various rock types; application of weathering proxies (Sr and Li isotopes) across key geological intervals in the Precambrian, unravelling interactions among weathering, tectonics, and biological evolution.

As a Research Associate in the group of Prof Rachael James, Helen is working on the enhanced rock weathering project. A key focus of her current work is to measure and quantify carbon dioxide removal through sampling and extensive geochemical and isotopic analyses of weathering products (soils, drainage waters, rivers), and assess the weathering efficiency.