Rachael Rhodes

Rachael Rhodes is a Lecturer in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge, specializing in paleoclimate research using polar ice cores. She teaches across all levels of the Earth Sciences course within the Natural Sciences Tripos and actively contributes to international climate research initiatives through the European Geosciences Union and American Geophysical Society.

Education:

• Doctoral degree from Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, focusing on trace element geochemistry of coastal Antarctic ice cores
• Postdoctoral research at Oregon State University, USA, developing ultra-high resolution methane records
• Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship at University of Cambridge

Rhodes' research reconstructs past climate and biogeochemical cycles using polar ice cores, combining geochemical analysis of ice and trapped air bubbles with numerical modeling. Her work targets multi-decadal methane variability and chemical tracers for sea ice conditions, aiming to improve future climate predictions. She emphasizes fieldwork's role in geological inquiry and integrates analytical techniques like ICP-MS with climate modeling.

Recent publications reveal trends in ultra-high resolution ice core analysis, spanning methane dynamics, carbon monoxide history, sea ice reconstructions, and diffusion processes in deep ice. Key themes include abrupt climate transitions, paleo-constraints for modern warming, and international collaboration through projects like PAGES working groups.

Scientific Awards:

• Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship

Rhodes supervises PhD students and leads projects including Beyond EPICA Oldest Ice (targeting 1.4+ million-year-old ice), FETCH4 (methane transport), REWIND (sea ice history), and WACSWAIN (West Antarctic Ice Sheet stability). She serves on the Editorial Board of Communications Earth and Environment following a secondment at Nature Geoscience, with funding from multiple international grants supporting her fieldwork and laboratory analyses.

Her research group collaborates globally through the DEEPICE Marie Curie Innovative Training Network and Past Global Changes initiatives, operating within Cambridge's Climate Change and Earth-Ocean-Atmosphere Systems cluster using advanced facilities including ICP-MS and NMR instrumentation.