About
Dr. Elizabeth Webb is an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at Western University, specializing in stable-isotope biogeochemistry. She holds a Ph.D. from Western University (2000) and leads the Laboratory for Stable Isotope Science (LSIS). Her primary affiliations include the Faculty of Science and involvement with the Richard W. Hutchinson Geoscience Collaborative Suite. She teaches undergraduate courses such as Earth Sciences 1086, 2240, and 3341, and graduate seminars (Geology/Geophysics 9580/9680).
Dr. Webb's research focuses on understanding climate-vegetation interactions through isotopic analysis of plant materials, soil systems, and paleoenvironmental reconstruction. Key themes include: soil-plant-atmosphere continuum dynamics, paleoclimate modeling using ancient plant remains, carbon sequestration mechanisms, water resource availability in changing ecosystems, and fire history reconstruction in North American prairies.
Her lab (BGS 0159, WSC 54) supports projects like developing multi-proxy paleoclimate models through calcite/calcium oxalate/silica biomineralization studies, Si-isotope indicators of weathering rates, and botanical magnetite-based aridity proxies. Recent work explores thermoregulating plant biomineralization processes and fire frequency-climate links.
Dr. Webb collaborates with institutions globally, including fieldwork in Maya archaeological sites (Belize/Guatemala) and Canadian prairie ecosystems. She advises students on topics ranging from phytolith isotope analysis to geochemical cycle modeling. Research facilities include access to the Hutchinson Suite's mineral collections and advanced geochemical labs.
