Stable Isotope Facility

People

	Dr. Joy Matthews leads the team at the SIF. She joined the facility in January 2009 and has several years of experience maintaining mass spectrometers and developing stable isotope techniques. She oversees solid sample processing and maintains the laboratory information management system used by the facility. She received her PhD from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia where she used oxygen and carbon isotopes to investigate estuarine dissolved organic matter cycling.

	Dr. Chris Yarnes coordinates compound-specific analysis by GC-IRMS and LC-IRMS, ³⁴S analysis, and trace gas stable isotope analyses. Prior to joining the SIF, Chris managed stable isotope laboratories at New Mexico State University and the University of Washington. Chris has a PhD in Ecology from New Mexico State University where he studied the biochemistry of trophic interactions.

	Dr. Shaoneng (River) He graduated with a PhD in stable isotope geochemistry and petroleum geology from the University of Western Ontario, Canada. He has many years of experience in stable isotope geochemistry and is currently focused on Compound Specific Isotope Analysis (CSIA) by GC-C-IRMS. Before joining the SIF in 2010, Dr. He worked for several years with ZymaX Forensics in California, and Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory in Salt Lake City.

	Elvira Delgado joined the SIF in April 2007. She does sample analysis and data reduction of ¹³C/¹²C and ¹⁵N/¹⁴N in solid samples and ¹⁸O/¹⁶O and D/H in water samples. Customers can contact Elvira regarding isotope analysis of hydrogen and oxygen in water. She received her MS in analytical chemistry from UC Davis for studying the decomposition pathways of small hydrocarbons on titanium foil. Elvira enjoys gardening, cooking, teaching, playing with textiles, reading and being outdoors.

	Sylvia Duncan has over 9 years of isotope experience and joined the SIF team in September 2002. She received her Bachelors of Science in Geology from the University of California, Davis in 2001. Sylvia is in charge of general lab management, elemental analyzer maintenance, scheduling sample analysis, and data processing. Customers can contact Sylvia to schedule rush requests, sample status, and general data inqueries.

	Linda Huynh joined the Stable Isotope Facility in June 2010 as a Junior Specialist. Her current duties include general laboratory maintenance and assistance to staff members in operating the laboratory. She recently graduated in June 2010 from University of California, Davis with a Bachelors of Science in Biological Sciences.

	Katharine Pecsok Ewert joined the SIF in May 2009. After graduating from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2008 with a Bachelors of Science in Geological Sciences, she interned with Tyler B. Coplen and Jurate M. Landwehr at the USGS-Reston Stable Isotope Lab in Virginia for five months. She now operates GC-C-IRMS and DIC/DOC systems, performing FAME (fatty acid methyl ester) and DIC/DOC isotope analyses. Katharine also prepares samples for bacterial denitrification.

	Emily Ngo Schick has been with the SIF since January 2000. She graduated in 2003 from the University of California, Davis with a Bachelors of Science in Biological Sciences. Emily is involved in many different facets of the SIF, including general lab maintenance, setting up the 5 solid sample mass spectrometers, and bacterial denitrification preparation. She also dabbles in HTML and is responsible for the occasional update of the SIF website. Emily is the person to contact regarding billing issues, including submitting purchase orders and requesting estimates or invoices.

	Mary Anne Soriano joined the SIF in 2010. Mary Anne assists with sample and standards preparation, preparing batches for the EA-IRMS systems, processing incoming samples, and general laboratory maintenance. Customers can contact Mary Anne to see if we have received your samples in the mail. Mary Anne enjoys baking, hiking, and giving back to the community.

	Irene Yen joined the SIF in June 2007. She received a Bachelors of Arts in Geology from UC Davis in 2001. Her current responsibilities at the SIF include preparing standards and samples, setting up solid sample runs on the mass specs, and general lab maintenance. She enjoys knitting and reading in her spare time.