Serena Formenti

Serena Formenti is a PhD student and Researcher at the University of British Columbia's Pacific Centre for Isotopic and Geochemical Research (PCIGR), affiliated with the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences. Her research focuses on the geochemical evolution of the Hawaiian mantle plume, combining analytical techniques like HR-ICP-MS and MC-ICP-MS to study volcanic samples from the Northwest Hawaiian Ridge and Lānaʻi volcano.

Education: Honors Bachelor of Science in Integrated Sciences (Summa Cum Laude) from McMaster University (2017-2021), with a concentration in Earth and Environmental Sciences. She also holds a Diplôme d'études en langue française (Level B2).

Research Interests: Serena's work addresses mantle plume dynamics, magmatic processes, and deep Earth structure. She employs geochemical methods to trace compositional changes in the Hawaiian plume over millions of years, aiming to understand its unique activity and structural evolution.

Awards/Grants: Recipient of NSERC CGS-D and CGS-M fellowships, UBC Doctoral Fellowship, and grants including the Lipman Volcanology Award. Her research is supported by the Tectonochemistry and Geodynamics group via NSERC-USRA funding.

Teaching: Serves as Head Teaching Assistant for geochemistry courses (EOSC 220, 333, 523) and produced the Backyard Geology podcast. Active in science outreach and education through McMaster's Integrated Science program.

Labs/Teams: Member of the PCIGR lab and collaborates with supervisors Dr. Dominique Weis and Dr. Lauren Harrison. Engaged in fieldwork and international conferences (e.g., Goldschmidt 2022).