Our Sixth Form science students recently had the privilege of hearing from alumna Dr Chelsea Sutcliffe, a proud member of the Class of 2005. Dr Sutcliffe’s career, deeply rooted in her study of chemistry, has taken her to the forefront of sustainable mining practices. She currently serves as Senior Project Geochemist at Teck Resources, Canada's largest mining company.
After leaving EIC, Chelsea graduated from Imperial College London with an MSci in Earth Science and completed her PhD at the University of Oxford. Her postdoctoral research, funded by the Canadian Astrobiology Training Program, focused on identifying biosignatures—indicators of life—in extreme environments where conventional methods often fail. One of these environments includes the ancient, salty waters trapped up to 3km deep in the Earth's oldest rocks within the Canadian Shield. Similar fluids have been found in places like South Africa, where life was discovered 2.8km below the surface.
In Canada, Chelsea's research team detected high concentrations of gases such as hydrogen and methane, which are associated with microorganisms like chemolithotrophs and methanogens. Using advanced techniques like gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, she analysed the isotopic ratios of hydrogen and carbon to search for biological signatures, aiming to determine if life could exist within these isolated, billion-year-old fluids. Her work provides valuable insights into the potential for life in environments analogous to Mars, where similar salty subsurface fluids may also be found.
In another postdoctoral project, Chelsea collaborated with an NGO to apply radiogenic isotope dating in order to track the final stages of fluid movement within the Canadian crust. This research was vital for identifying stable and safe locations for a Deep Geological Repository, crucial to the responsible management of nuclear waste produced by Ontario’s nuclear power plants.
We are incredibly grateful to Dr Sutcliffe for sharing her time and expertise with our Sixth Form students, offering them invaluable advice and insight into the exciting possibilities of a career in science.
