Tim Elliott is a geochemist who studies the evolution of the Earth and other terrestrial bodies using measurements of the isotopic compositions of various elements. He has specialised in developing analytical approaches to yield novel isotopic means to reconstruct planetary histories.
Tim has investigated production of melt from the Earth’s interior and the chemical consequences of the return of solidified melts to depth via the plate tectonic cycle. In particular, he has assessed elemental fluxes from descending plates and has highlighted how the rise of atmosphere oxygen has been remarkably recorded in the isotopic composition of the deep, solid Earth. His recent focus on planetary growth has identified the rapid formation of metallic cores, how bulk chemistry is notably modified during early accretion and distinctively embellished in its terminal stages.
Tim has received the Murchison Medal from the Geological Society of London, the Norman Bowen Award from the American Geophysical Union, the Gast Lectureship of the European Association of Geochemistry and Geochemical Society and a Sir Philip Leverhulme Prize.
