Who we Are
We are the John Lab, a research group led by Professor Cédric John and hosted in the Digital Environment Research Institute (DERI) at Queen Mary University of London. At DERI, Professor John leads the Data Science for the Environment and Sustainability Research Platform, one of four key research directions for the institute. Before joining DERI, the group was based for nearly 16 years in the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial College London.
Our research approach blends machine learning and AI with cutting edge field and experimental methods in Earth and Planetary Sciences. The Digital Environment Research Institute is the centre of digital, data science, and AI research at Queen Mary and it underpins the university’s vision for its research Strategy 2030. For us, DERI is the perfect home for an interdisciplinary team working on scientific machine learning applied to environmental and Earth Science problems.
DERI and Queen Mary University of London are affiliated with the Alan Turing Institute.
Testimonials
Hear what former members of the lab have to say about their time with us.
Adhipa Herlambang (PhD Student, 2018-2021)
John MacDonald (Postdoc, 2013-2015)
Sarah Robinson (PhD Student, 2019-2022)
Tobias Kluge (Postdoc, 2012-2015)
Niranjana Sundararajan (MSc Student, 2022)
Marta Marchegiano(Postdoc, 2019-2021)
Annabel Dale (PhD Student, 2011-2015)
Qi Adlan (PhD Student, 2019-2022)
research Highlights
We have two main research themes: Applied Artificial Intelligence for Earth and Space Sciences (we call it Earth-Centric AI) and Carbonate Research. You can also find about our publications and the software and data stemming from our research.
AI Research
Our group applies data-centric machine learning techniques to Earth and planetary sciences, leading to innovative approaches for analyzing and interpreting data in these fields.
Carbonate Research
Our research in carbonates focuses on the processes involved in their formation and alteration, and how these processes impact the geochemistry and stratigraphy of carbonate rocks.
Publications
Our group has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers in a variety of fields, including clumped isotopes, carbonate diagenesis, climate change, stratigraphy, AI and machine learning.
Software and Data
Our research has led to the development of free software tools that have been widely used by researchers in our fields. These tools have made it easier to analyze and interpret data..
Spotlight on our Papers:
Predicting marine organic-rich deposits using forward stratigraphic modelling: The Jurassic Najmah source rock–Case study
Predicting the distribution and heterogeneity of marine Mesozoic organic-rich rocks is a challenging task that requires multi-disciplinary data integration supported by innovative numerical modelling. This study aims at investigating the factors controlling marine organic matter production, accumulation, and preservation along…
Exploring the potential of clumped isotope thermometry on coccolith‐rich sediments as a sea surface temperature proxy
Understanding past changes in sea surface temperatures (SSTs) is crucial; however, existing proxies for reconstructing past SSTs are hindered by unknown ancient seawater composition (foraminiferal Mg/Ca and δ18O) or reflect subsurface temperatures (TEX86) or have a limited applicable temperature range…
Fluid surface coverage showing the controls of rock mineralogy on the wetting state
The wetting state is an important control on flow in subsurface multi‐fluid phase systems, for example, carbon storage and oil production. Advances in X‐ray imaging allow us to characterize the wetting state using imagery of fluid arrangement within the pores…
The sensitivity of estimates of multiphase fluid and solid properties of porous rocks to image processing
X-ray microcomputed tomography (X-ray μ-CT) is a rapidly advancing technology that has been successfully employed to study flow phenomena in porous media. It offers an alternative approach to core scale experiments for the estimation of traditional petrophysical properties such as…
Magmatic-like fluid source of the Chingshui geothermal field, NE Taiwan evidenced by carbonate clumped-isotope paleothermometry
The Chingshui geothermal field, a moderate-temperature and water-dominated hydrothermal system, was the site of the first geothermal power plant in Taiwan. Many geological, geophysical and geochemical studies using more than 21 drilled wells have been performed since the 1960s. However,…
Phosphogenesis and organic-carbon preservation in the Miocene Monterey Formation at Naples Beach, California—The Monterey hypothesis revisited
The middle part of the Miocene Monterey Formation at Naples Beach, west of Santa Barbara, California, is predominantly composed of organic-rich mudstone interstratified with phosphatic laminae. Minor lithologies include volcanic ash, dolomite, porcelanite and chert, and condensed phosphatic beds. Sediments…
Diagenesis of phosphatic hardgrounds in the Monterey Formation: A perspective from bulk and clumped isotope geochemistry
Understanding the authigenesis of carbonate fluorapatite through isotopic geochemistry can yield important information on fundamental geologic processes occurring on continental margins around the world. This is particularly true for phosphatic hardgrounds, which are often found in regions of upwelling, but…
Assessment of Factors Controlling Clumped Isotopes and δ18O Values of Hydrothermal Vent Calcites
The clumped isotope composition of CaCO3 (Δ47) is a geochemical proxy that can provide mineral formation temperatures and, together with measured carbonate δ18O, inferred fluid δ18O values. Under natural conditions, carbonates form within a relatively wide pH range and varying…
Diagenetic geobodies: Fracture-controlled burial dolomite in outcrops from northern Oman
Diagenetic heterogeneities are difficult to predict in the subsurface. Nevertheless, such heterogeneities can be crucial in hydrocarbon exploration. Diagenetic processes can significantly alter petrophysical properties of reservoir rocks, especially in carbonate rocks because of the reactive nature of the carbonate…
Rock-buffered recrystallization of Marion Plateau dolomites at low temperature evidenced by clumped isotope thermometry and X-ray diffraction analysis
Much debate exists on the extent to which early dolomites recrystallize and preserve the signature of their primary diagenetic setting. Here, we combine clumped isotopes thermometry with X-ray diffraction and thin section petrography to study dolomite recrystallization under shallow burial…
Ground-based hyperspectral imaging as a tool to identify different carbonate phases in natural cliffs
Recent research has shown hyperspectral imaging to be a powerful tool to distinguish carbonate phases with slight compositional differences on quarry cliff faces. The traditional remote sensing set-up uses an optimal short distance between the hyperspectral camera mounted on a…
Clumped-isotope thermometry of magnesium carbonates in ultramafic rocks
Magnesium carbonate minerals produced by reaction of H2O–CO2 with ultramafic rocks occur in a wide range of paragenetic and tectonic settings and can thus provide insights into a variety of geologic processes, including (1) deposition of ore-grade, massive-vein cryptocrystalline magnesite;…