Catherine Hirst

Dr. Catherine Hirst is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at Durham University, UK, where she has been employed since 2022. Her research focuses on biogeochemical processes in high-latitude systems, particularly carbon cycling in permafrost and glacial environments across Arctic and Antarctic regions.

She earned her MSc in Earth Sciences from the University of Oxford (2008-2012) and completed her PhD at Stockholm University (2012-2018). Prior to Durham, she conducted postdoctoral research at UCLouvain's Earth and Life Institute (2018-2022) under Professor Sophie Opfergelt.

Her research integrates field studies in Siberia, Canada, Greenland, and Antarctica with laboratory techniques including stable isotope analysis (Fe, Si, V), TEM microscopy, and XAS spectroscopy. Key interests include mineral-organic carbon interactions in thawing permafrost, winter biogeochemical processes, and the role of iron in carbon preservation. She emphasizes cross-disciplinary collaboration and maintains active partnerships with researchers across Europe and North America.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2019-2025) reveals dominant themes in Arctic biogeochemistry, with particular focus on permafrost degradation impacts, seasonal hydrological controls on carbon transport, and mineral-organic interactions in frozen soils. Her work frequently addresses climate change implications through investigations of winter processes and thermokarst dynamics.

Dr. Hirst supervises doctoral students including Emily Fearns-Nicol and Katarina Dickson, and collaborates with Durham's environment and isotope teams featuring Dr. Jotis Baronas, Julia Knapp, and professors Fred Worrall, Kevin Burton, Darren Grocke, and Geoffrey Nowell. She serves on multiple departmental committees including Equality, Diversity and Inclusion; Research; Fieldwork Health and Safety; and Ethics.

Teaching responsibilities include co-leading the first-year Sustainability course, directing the third-year Polar Quaternary Environmental Processes module, and participating in geological field trips. She actively seeks new students for projects investigating inorganic drivers of organic carbon cycling through experimental and field-based approaches.