Aniket Dhar is a fourth-year PhD student broadly interested in using geochemistry and mineralogy in carbonate archives, such as cave calcite formations (speleothems/stalagmites), to reconstruct past and observed climatic trends. His current research focuses on reconstructing late Quaternary shifts in southern Indian hydroclimate using speleothem geochemistry. Aniket is interested in understanding the kinetics of calcite precipitation and dissolution in karst systems, and the chemical exchange during the growth of speleothems, using mineralogy and the trace-element (Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca, Ba/Ca) composition of stalagmites.

Email: aniketdhar@arizona.edu

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Alexandra is a second-year Ph.D. student at the Department of Geosciences, after completing her M.S. here from 2023–2025, working on benthic foraminiferal proxies. She is originally from upstate New York and received her BS degree in Atmospheric Science from SUNY Albany. Currently, Alexandra works with stable isotope measurements on foraminifera to reconstruct past climate regimes and variability.

Research Interests: Paleoclimate/Paleoceanography, Stable Isotope Geochemistry, ENSO and other large-scale climate dynamics

Email: aokeefe@arizona.edu

Originally from Northern Virginia, Amanda is a first-year M.S. student who joined Dr. Thirumalai’s Paleo² Lab in the Fall of 2024. Previously, she earned her BA in Earth and Climate Sciences from Middlebury College. Amanda is broadly interested in what foraminiferal proxies like Mg/Ca ratios and stable isotopes (δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C) can reveal about past ocean and climate conditions.

Email: amanoogian@arizona.edu