Áine Clare O'Brien headshot

Dr Áine O'Brien

Carbon Ratings Scientist

Dr Áine O'Brien's interests

  • Energy

  • Energy Efficiency

  • Renewable Energy

  • Non-Renewable Energy

  • Energy Infrastructure

  • Industrial Processes

  • Industrial Emissions

  • Waste

  • Carbon mapping

  • Climate modelling

  • Data science

  • GIS

  • Physics

  • Remote sensing

  • Satellite imagery

Dr Áine O'Brien is an Earth and planetary scientist whose research focuses on geochemical analysis of organic (carbon based) compounds in rocks. Her main focuses are on the development of mass spectrometry and spectroscopic techniques to determine the structure and likely formation scenario of organics in igneous rocks on Earth, Mars, and asteroids.

Before her PhD, Áine was a high school physics teacher for three years.

Education

  • Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Postdoctoral Researcher (geochemical analysis of carbon emissions from historic wildfires during previous climate change events)

  • University of Glasgow, Research Associate carrying out geochemical analysis of the organic content of the Winchcombe Meteorite

  • Royal Astronomical Society, Diversity Officer

  • University of Glasgow, PhD in extra-terrestrial organic geochemistry

  • University of Buckingham, PGCE in Physics Teaching

Research associations

  • Astrobiology Society of Britain Barrie Jones Memorial Award for best science communicator 2022

  • University of Glasgow Research Culture award for EDI - 2022

  • Inaugural chair of UK Astronomy and Geophysics Early Career Network 2020-2023

  • Sir Arthur Clarke Award - UK Space Student of the Year 2020

  • University of Glasgow Future World Changer award - 2019

  • Part of group achievement in geophysics award from the Royal Astronomical Society, 2022 for retrieval of the Winchcombe Meteorite

  • Communications lead for the UK Fireball Alliance (2021-2023) - Fellow at the Royal Astronomical Society

Learn more about Áine's academic history and publications

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