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Bridget Bergquist is a Professor and the W.M. Keck Chair in Geology at the University of Toronto. Her research program's primary aim is to increase the understanding of biogeochemical cycles that are vital for life on Earth. With a focus on trace metal and stable isotope geochemistry, she explores the inherent importance of metals in the environment, particularly their roles as nutrients and toxins. Her work highlights the controlling role that metal chemistry plays in environmental processes, including carbon cycling, ocean circulation, and the weathering and transport of chemicals in nature. In a world where human activities are perturbing natural cycles, understanding the biogeochemical cycles of metals is essential for assessing impacts on food sources, health, and climate. Recent analytical advancements, particularly in multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS), have allowed for significant insights into stable isotope fractionation of metals, making isotopic variations powerful tracers of environmental processes. By combining metal biogeochemistry with studies of natural metal isotopic variations, her research has the potential to yield insights into both modern global cycles of metals and past conditions on Earth.
Department of Sociology