Thomas Wagner

Thomas Wagner is a Professor at Heriot-Watt University, affiliated with the Global Research Institutes and The Lyell Centre. His research focuses on petroleum source rock formation, biogeochemical cycles, and climate-ocean interactions across geological timescales. He has conducted fieldwork and studies in diverse locations including the Congo, Amazon, and Yangtze basins, and has participated in major initiatives like IODP and NERC-MethaneNetwork. His work integrates geology, paleoclimatology, geochemistry, and ecosystem science.

He has held academic positions at institutions such as GEOMAR, Bremen University, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and Royal NIOZ before joining Heriot-Watt in 2016. His teaching portfolio includes Earth System Sciences, Petroleum Geochemistry, and field geology, with extensive supervision of over 26 PhD students and 56 MSc candidates.

• Research Interests: Controls on hydrocarbon source rocks, carbon-nutrient cycling from land to ocean, Cretaceous-Paleogene climate perturbations, and modern sedimentary processes.
• Key Activities: Participation in international conferences (AAPG/ACS, EAGE Shale Workshop), oral presentations on African basins, and leadership in interdisciplinary projects.
• Grants & Collaborations: Active in UK NERC and IODP initiatives; collaborates globally on oceanographic and paleoclimatic studies.

His lab, part of The Lyell Centre, focuses on molecular and isotopic analyses to trace organic matter pathways and reconstruct past climate systems. Current projects include Cretaceous ocean anoxic events and Holocene tropical wetland dynamics.