Graduate Research Assistant
Caroline Mackin studies the roles of calcareous nannoplankton and planktic foraminifera in deep-sea sediments to determine pelagic carbonate production across major climate events and its role in the global carbon cycle. She earned her B.S. in Geophysics from the University of Texas at Austin in May 2025. Her current research focuses on samples spanning the Eocene–Oligocene transition (33.7–34.5 Ma) from ODP Site 1265 (Walvis Ridge, southeastern Atlantic Ocean), a critical interval marked by Antarctic glaciation, deepening of the carbonate compensation depth, and widespread extinction of marine calcifiers. Her work aims to refine methods for reconstructing pelagic carbonate production and to better understand how marine calcifier communities responded to past climate change. When she’s not analyzing sediments, Caroline enjoys running, exploring Austin’s local food scene, and spending time with friends at Barton Springs.
Interests
Plate tectonics, plate reconstructions, mantle convection, biogeography, paleogeography
Supervisors
Chris Lowery
Academics
M.S. in Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Expected May 2027
B.S. in Geophysics, The University of Texas at Austin, May 2025