Nathalie Dubois is participating in Expedition 329 as an organic geochemist. She grew up in Switzerland, where she earned a Masters degree in geology at the University of Geneva. After completing a PhD in Oceanography from Dalousie University in Halifax, Canada, she moved to the UK to work as a Research Associate at the University of Manchester. Growing up she loved the water and enjoyed learning about the oceans. That led her to pursue the field of science as a career.

At home, she is involved in search and rescue operations on Lake Geneva. She has been a lifeguard, likes to swim, water ski, and boating.Nathalie’s research interests include looking at the sediment horizons by using data collected from seismic surveys. Survey work is undertaken before each expedition so this provides Nathalie with needed data. She is also interested in the distribution of grain size and how they relate to bottom currents, which flow across the ocean floor.

On Expedition 329, she is testing the sediments for large amounts of methane, which for the ship could be disastrous, as we are not equipped to handle this potentially explosive gas. Methane also has the potential to sink the ship if many bubbles of it were to come to the surface and reduce the density of the water. In the chemistry lab, she is also helping to determine the amount of organic material in the sediments.