Gabriel Filippelli

My research focuses on biogeochemical cycling in the environment and the connections between geochemistry and the geologic record of climate change. Student projects involve field study, followed by detailed geochemical analyses in the biogeochemistry laboratory. The laboratory is equipped with a plasma emission spectrometer for elemental analyses, as well as specialized spectrometers for analysis of carbon, mercury, and phosphorous. I have worked extensively on the chemistry and geologic history of nutrient cycling in the ocean and on land. Current research projects involve determining the controls on nutrient cycling on land during glaciation, examining the timing and driving forces of biological productivity in the ocean, assessing the content and distribution of the potentially harmful element mercury in coal resources of Indiana and examining the links between lead distribution and children's blood lead levels in urban areas.