Matthew Fantle

Matthew Fantle is a Professor of Geosciences in the Department of Geosciences within the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at Pennsylvania State University. He serves as the Head of the Astrobiology Minor program and leads the Laboratory for Isotopes and Metals in the Environment (LIME).

Dr. Fantle's educational background includes:

• B.A. in Environmental Earth Sciences from Dartmouth College
• Ph.D. in Geology from the University of California, Berkeley (2005)

Dr. Fantle's research focuses on metal isotope systematics in both laboratory and natural systems. His work utilizes a range of metal isotopes including Ca, Mg, Sr, Li, Cu, and Fe to understand geochemical processes and interpret Earth's history with greater precision. His research program integrates experimental work, natural system studies, and modeling approaches to develop and evaluate isotopic proxies for elemental cycling in the geologic past and to characterize global geochemical cycles of various metals. His group works primarily with MC-ICP-MS and TIMS mass spectrometry, often coupling bulk measurements with small-scale imaging techniques like SEM, nano-SIMS, and TEM.

Dr. Fantle has a strong commitment to mentoring students in isotope geochemistry. He emphasizes developing a comprehensive toolkit for students, combining experimental, numerical, and application work in all research projects. He expects students to be responsible, respectful, and proactive, with a focus on excellence in all aspects of research. As Head of the Astrobiology Minor since approximately 2007, he has helped shape this interdisciplinary program that bridges geosciences and astronomy.

Dr. Fantle is actively involved in building the calcium isotope research community, having co-organized workshops with Dr. Elizabeth Griffith of Ohio State University since 2017. He previously worked at the Carnegie Institution of Washington with Dr. Marilyn Fogel, where he gained expertise in C and N isotopes and compound-specific analyses.

His research group, the Laboratory for Isotopes and Metals in the Environment (LIME), investigates topics including:

• Solid-fluid exchange over various time scales
• Effects of mineral precipitation/transformation on isotopic composition
• Physical and chemical indicators of diagenetic exchange
• Isotopic biosignatures
• Application of isotopic tools to past climate perturbations
• Constraints on geochemical cycles of various elements