Research statement
I’m a geochronologist by training, with expertise in trapped charge dating techniques of luminescence and electron spin resonance (ESR). I use these techniques not only as a classical dating method for the Quaternary, but also as tool for exploring novel applications in geomorphology. My research primarily combines aspects of sedimentology, sediment geochemistry and geochronology to reconstruct and constrain the timing, rates and processes of landscape-climate interaction over Quaternary timescales, with a strong focus on developing applications of trapped charge dating methods in the study of earth surface processes.
Over the past years, a major focus of my research has been on developing and validating the application of different luminescence signals and ESR-resolvable defect centres in the quartz mineral as a proxy for provenance, with the ultimate goal of understanding ‘source’ to ‘sink’ transport within sedimentary systems. At the ICE group in UNIL, I aim to extend my research scope and work towards the development and application of quartz ESR thermochronometry – a novel approach to extract the thermal history of quartz to better constrain later stage rock cooling histories, and gain insight into landscape evolution over late Quaternary timescales.
Brief Biography
I did my B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of Delhi, India (2009-2014). Following which, I pursued a M.Sc. in Archaeological Sciences at the University of Oxford, U.K. (2014-15). It was here that I developed an interest in trapped charge dating. After a short research stint in the Luminescence laboratory at the Physical Research Laboratory, India (2015-16), I moved to Germany for my PhD. I completed my PhD in Geology at the Max Plank Institute for Chemistry (MPIC) Mainz, Germany in 2021. Post PhD, I was a postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Tuebingen, Germany (2021-22) and then, in the European Research Council (ERC) project – PROGRESS at Babes-Bolyai University, Romania (2022-24).
Selected Publications
A full list of publications can be found here
| Dave, A.K., Constantin, D., Roban, R.D., Ducea, M.N., Panaiotu, C., Timar-Gabor, A. 2024. Investigations on single and multi-grain optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) sensitivity and electron spin resonance (ESR) signals in quartz derived from sandstones: Insights on provenance of quartz in ancient depositional systems. Quaternary Geochronology 82, 101-548. Dave, A. K., Lisa, L., Scardia, G., Nigmatova, S., and Fitzsimmons, K. E. 2023. The patchwork loess of Central Asia: Implications for interpreting aeolian dynamics and past climate circulation in piedmont regions. Journal of Quaternary Science 38 (4), 526-543. Dave, A. K., Timar-Gabor, A., Scardia, G., Safaraliev, N., Fitzsimmons, K. E. 2022. Variation in luminescence characteristics and paramagnetic defect centres in fine-grained quartz from a loess-palaeosol sequence in Tajikistan: Implications for provenance studies in aeolian environments. Frontiers in Earth Science. 10:835281. Dave, A. K., Timar-Gabor, A., Kabacińska, Z., Scardia, G., Safaraliev, N., Nigmatova, S., Fitzsimmons, K. E. 2022. A novel proxy for tracking the provenance of dust based on paired E1’-peroxy paramagnetic defect centers in fine-grained quartz. Geophysical Research Letters, 49, e2021GL095007. Frouin, M., Douka., K, Dave, A.K., Schwenninger, J-L., Mercier, N., Murray, A.S., Santaniello, F., Boschian, G., Grimaldi, S., Higham, T. 2022. A refined chronology for the Middle and the early Upper Palaeolithic at Riparo Mochi (Liguria, Italy). Journal of Human Evolution (169), 103211. Fitzsimmons, K.E., Nowatski, M., Dave, A.K., Harder, H. 2020. Intersections between wind regimes, topography and sediment supply: Perspectives from aeolian landforms in Central Asia. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 540, 109-531. Dave, A.K., Courty, M.A., Fitzsimmons, K.E., Singhvi, A.K. 2019. Revisiting the contemporaneity of a mighty river and the Harappans: Archaeological, stratigraphic and chronometric constraints. Quaternary Geochronology 49, 230-235. Contact Aditi K. Dave Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics Bâtiment Geopolis, office 3120 UNIL – Mouline 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland Email: aditikrishna.dave@unil.ch |