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)
Tobias Kluge (Postdoc, 2012-2015)
Marta Marchegiano(Postdoc, 2019-2021)
Sarah Robinson (PhD Student, 2019-2022)
Annabel Dale (PhD Student, 2011-2015)
Niranjana Sundararajan (MSc Student, 2022)
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:
Interplay between depositional facies, diagenesis and early fractures in the Early Cretaceous Habshan Formation, Jebel Madar, Oman
Diagenesis and fracturing can significantly alter petrophysical properties of subsurface carbonate reservoirs, but the impacts of these processes at the inter-well scale are hard to predict. However, the initial distribution of sedimentary facies is easier to predict, and could template…
Deciphering the state of the late Miocene to early Pliocene equatorial Pacific
The late Miocene‐early Pliocene was a time of global cooling and the development of modern meridional thermal gradients. Equatorial Pacific sea surface conditions potentially played an important role in this global climate transition, but their evolution is poorly understood. Here…
Towards a new understanding of the genesis of chalk: Diagenetic origin of micarbs confirmed by clumped isotope analysis
Chalk is usually thought to be a homogeneous sediment with a relatively simple early diagenetic history. Here, clumped isotope analyses of samples from a core of Campanian Maastrichtian chalk are presented, indicating that material smaller than 5 µm has a different…
Chemostratigraphy in Miocene heterozoan carbonate settings: applications, limitations and perspectives
The temporal variability of geochemical proxies can be used in time intervals characterized by global changes in marine chemistry to achieve improved stratigraphic correlation. The application of this approach in rocks lithified by cementation requires particular attention, as the original…
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…
Combining clumped isotope and trace element analysis to constrain potential kinetic effects in calcite
The field of clumped isotope paleothermometry is over a decade old, but the influence of precipitation rate on the fractionation of clumped isotopes between natural carbonates and their environmental solutions remains unclear. Here we apply two different proxies, carbonate clumped…
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 Implications of Stylolitization In Pelagic Carbonates, Canterbury Basin, Offshore New ZealandDIAGENETIC IMPLICATIONS OF STYLOLITIZATION IN PELAGIC CARBONATES
Stylolites are irregular discontinuity surfaces that are thought to result from localized stress-induced dissolution during burial or tectonic compression. The genesis of stylolites and the controls on stylolitization are still debated, and the interplay between stylolitization, generation of carbonate-rich fluids,…
The Palaeocene–Eocene carbon isotope excursion: constraints from individual shell planktonic foraminifer records
The Palaeocene–Eocene thermal maximum (PETM) is characterized by a global negative carbon isotope excursion (CIE) and widespread dissolution of seafloor carbonate sediments. The latter feature supports the hypothesis that the PETM and CIE were caused by the rapid release of…
Mental health in the field
Field work is an important and valued part of geoscience research, but can also serve as a source of stress. Careful planning can help support the mental health and wellness of participants at all career stages.
Clumped isotope record of individual limestone fabrics: A potential method to constrain the timing of oil migration
This study applied clumped isotope analyses to investigate how different limestone components (larger skeletal grains and enclosing matrix) and cements may have varying degrees of susceptibility to recrystallization during progressive burial. The results also provide new constraints on the temperatures…
Relative performance of support vector machine, decision trees, and random forest classifiers for predicting production success in US unconventional shale plays
Unconventional shale reservoirs have revolutionized the energy industry. However, the prediction of production based on reservoir geology characterization has largely focused on sweet spot definition rather than on over-arching production trends across multiple plays. This study uses machine learning (ML) techniques…