Research horizons: What now, what next? An evening with UBC's newest Unviersity Killam Professors

April 20, 2022

EOAS' Professor Dominique Weis is one of UBC's six newest University Killam Professors speaking at the upcoming panel Research horizons: What now, what next? An evening with UBC's newest University Killam Professors. on Monday, May 2nd from 6:30 onward at the Robert H. Lee Alumni Center. Professor Weis is a renowned leader in the application of trace elements and radiogenic isotopes analysis. Her analytical insight has enabled new discoveries into Earth systems such as mantle plumes and hotspot volcanoes. Through the analysis of a wide range of materials such as honey, salmon, or belongings, her expertise allows the opening of new lines of research into health/epidemiology, local pollution/food security, and archeology/Indigenous-led studies. Professor Weis is a Canada Research Chair (Tier I) in the Geochemistry of the Earth’s mantle, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, of the Geochemical Society and the American Geophysical Union.

Geochemistry helps us understand how the Earth formed and how it works. We can also use geochemistry directly to help in the discovery of mineral resources, in keeping the planet habitable and in assessing how clean our cities are. The potential applications of these tools over the last century have been highly dependent on the development of analytical techniques. These techniques helped us to determine an absolute age for the Earth as recently as 1956. Nowadays, Uranium-Lead dating means we can determine the age of objects and materials with astonishing precision, while using ever-smaller samples–as little as a nanogram. In this presentation, Professor Weis will share recent game-changing applications of geochemistry, looking at volcanoes, environmental biomonitoring, archaeology and anthropology.

The event is free, but has limited space. Reserve your spot by booking a ticket here.