Bethany Theiling, Ph.D.

Welcome!

I am an Assistant Professor of Geochemistry at the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.A., specializing in stable isotope geochemistry.

I have a growing research group with two major foci: Astrobiology and Organic Carbon Burial/Climate.

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I have been interested in oceanographic and climate-related research since my pre-teen years, and especially how climate and ocean chemistry affects living organisms.

Much of my climate-related research has focused on global greenhouse time intervals--periods of time in which Earth's climate was characterized by globally high temperatures and little to no continental glacial ice. What conditions promote cooling of the planet and regrowth of glacial ice? 

This climate-related research is shifting toward a focus on continental weathering: How is weathered material transported to oceans? What effect does this have on marine ecosystems? 

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My astrobiology-related research focuses on determining whether icy ocean worlds, such as Jupiter's moon Europa and Saturn's moon Enceladus, could harbor life and whether that life could be detected using spacecraft instrumentation. 

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I'm constantly trying new things and truly enjoy the creativity that comes with being a scientist. I encourage my students to be creative and to cultivate a sense of exploration in their work, while maintaining the rigor science requires.