About Us
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
BS Chemistry
University of Paris V
MS Geochemistry
University of Paris VII/IPGP
PHD Oceanography
University of Connecticut
Postdoc Environmental Health
Harvard School of Public Health
Amina T. Schartup
Amina Schartup is an Associate Professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO). Before joining SIO in 2019, Amina was a Research Associate at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Amina was also a 2017-2019 AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the NSF Office of Polar Program–Arctic Section, where she developed a federal guidance document on pursuing ethical research in the Arctic.
LAB MANAGER
Patrick Russo
BS Geosciences
MS Earth Sciences
University of California San Diego
Patrick Russo is the Schartup Lab manager. After working for over 15 years, primarily in the service industry, he pursued higher education, earning a B.S. in Geosciences and an M.S. in Earth Sciences from UC San Diego. Previously, Patrick was the LA-ICP-MS Specialist for the Scripps Isotope Geochemistry Laboratory, where he worked with samples including corals, Paleoarchean Cr-rich spinels, Martian meteorites, and Apollo lunar material. Outside the lab, Patrick teaches as an associate instructor of oceanography and earth sciences at MiraCosta Community College and is an IHSS caregiver for his mother. In his "free time," he enjoys games, catching up on media, and attending QUAFF homebrew club events.
POSTDOC
Johannes West
BS in Geology
MS in Geosciences
PhD in Environmental Science
Stockholm University, Sweden
Johannes West is a biogeochemist studying element cycles with a focus on mercury in aquatic environments. He received a Ph.D. from Stockholm University, Sweden, in 2022, and joined the Schartup lab in 2023 as an SIO postdoctoral fellow. Johannes develops and applies methods using stable isotopes, atoms of the same element but with different masses, to study natural processes. Using this approach, he learns how mercury transforms between its inorganic and methylated forms, crucial for its toxicity and availability to living organisms. Johannes’s dissertation focused on dimethylmercury, a form of mercury that is challenging to work with since it is both gaseous and highly toxic. He currently uses the skills he acquired during his Ph.D. work to develop new experimental protocols and methods for measuring dimethylmercury. Outside of work, Johannes plays the accordion and enjoys sports such as running and climbing. Google Scholar
POSTDOC
Hannah Adams
BS Chemistry
BA Environmental Studies
University of Southern California
MS and PhD Earth Science
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Hannah Adams is an NSF postdoctoral fellow, working across the Schartup and Bowman Labs. She graduated from the Schartup Lab in 2025. Find out more about Hannah and her research on her website.
STUDENT
Cathryn Sephus
BS/MS Molecular and Cellular Biology
Minor in Astronomical Studies
University of Arizona
Cathryn Sephus is a PhD student in the Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry curricular group at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Her research interests center on microbial evolution and molecular adaptations used to survive heavy metal exposures in hypersaline environments. Her current work integrates chemistry with biology and bioinformatics to investigate how microbes can transform or utilize mercury and arsenic compounds to survive diverse hypersaline systems that serve as analogs to environments in Earth’s past and other planetary bodies. By studying the interactions between biology and metals in these environments, she aims to understand the limits and potentials of life on Earth and elsewhere in the universe.
Cathryn completed her master’s degree and bachelor’s degree (with honors) in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Arizona in 2021 and 2019, respectively. There, her research centered on astrochemistry and astrobiology with an emphasis on understanding how chemical and planetary environments affect habitability and evolution.
In her free time, she loves to travel, read, paint, and make pottery.
STUDENT
Erik Paulson
BS Biology
BA Chemistry
MS Chemistry
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Erik Paulson is a PhD student from North Carolina who is currently exploring the interactions of phytoplankton and mercury. As an undergraduate at UNC Wilmington, he did research in a variety of fields, including biochemistry, comparative physiology, and chemical education. There, he earned a B.S. in Biology, a B.A. in Chemistry, and a M.S. in Chemistry with a thesis in chemical education. His love for the ocean and interdisciplinary science inspired the trace metal research he’s pursuing at SIO. In his free time, Erik likes to surf and enjoy the outdoors. Google Scholar
STUDENT
Roland Ovbiebo
BTech Marine Science and Technology
The Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria
Roland Ovbiebo is a PhD student in the Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry curricular group. He’s originally from Nigeria where he got his bachelor’s degree in marine science and technology from the Federal University of Technology Akure. As part of his undergraduate final year project, he worked on the low-tide seasonal variations of physicochemical properties and heavy metal concentrations in the Benin River Estuary, Gulf of Guinea. He went further to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution as a guest student to learn how to use Python programming language to analyze satellite data in studying physical and chemical processes in the ocean. Currently, he works on the biogeochemical cycling of mercury. He is building a numerical computer model to study the chemical, biological, and physical transformation process of mercury in the estuary, a region where fresh river water meets the salty ocean water. In his model, he considers how the mixing of river freshwater and ocean saltwater impacts the transformation of mercury in this dynamic environment to better estimate the amount of mercury exported to the ocean. In his free time, Roland loves watching football (not American), biking, swimming, and traveling. Google Scholar
Alumni
Maya Chari, Summer intern (SURF program)
Ana Carrick-Gonzales, Intern (McNair program)
Iris Kübler-Dudgeon, Summer intern (CCE REU program)
Abril Hernandez, Summer intern (SURF program)
Hannah Adams, Doctoral student
