Sean McMahon

Sean McMahon

How does planet Earth interact with its living biosphere over billions of years? My research explores how geological materials (rocks, minerals and sediments) select, shape and sustain communities of organisms, and how organisms in turn produce, degrade and modify rocky substrates to leave lasting traces in the geological record. The study of these interactions (geobiology) deepens our understanding of where we come from and enhances our ability to search for life elsewhere in the universe.