A PhD graduate from the Department of Earth Sciences has been around the world, including to the bottom of the ocean, during her time at Memorial. 

Fall graduatee Caroline Gini’s dissertation and research focuses on how we explore and map the seafloor — one of Earth’s least explored frontiers.

She used new high-resolution mapping technologies that could transform how scientists study the ocean floor.

Originally from Geneva, Switzerland, a landlocked country, Ms. Gini has always been fascinated by ocean exploration and the challenge of accessing the remote seafloor landscapes.

“I found Memorial University and the island of Newfoundland provided a stimulating environment for studying marine science, especially as it is becoming a hub for marine technology,” she said. 

Deep-sea discoveries

While completing her doctoral degree, Ms. Gini dove headfirst into her research on deep-sea hydrothermal vents, or underwater hot springs, using a range of underwater vehicles and a newly developed sonar technology, interferometric synthetic aperture sonar (InSAS).

These tools helped her capture seafloor features in far greater detail than conventional methods.

“My research has shown that, while many tools are needed for seafloor exploration, the use of InSAS expands what is possible, from infrastructures and resources surveying to seafloor monitoring.”

With a growing demand for seafloor space from industries like offshore wind, mining and fisheries, developing better ways to assess and monitor these environments is becoming increasingly important.

She recently represented Memorial while at sea aboard a research vessel, leading the mapping effort on a mission to locate and study barrels of radioactive waste dumped off the coast of France.

A rewarding experience

Support from colleagues and peers, and access to research facilities such as The Earth Resources Research and Analysis Facility and the CREAIT network was instrumental in her success and learning, she says.

“The Earth Sciences department also supported my research with cutting-edge seafloor exploration technologies and by facilitating offshore fieldwork during the pandemic,” she said. 

Her supervisors, Dr. John Jamieson, a Canada Research Chair in marine geology, and Dr. Katleen Robert, a Canada Research Chair in ocean mapping, mentored her by encouraging questions and discussions, and supporting her participation in international conferences and offshore scientific expeditions, including to the Galapagos Islands.

The resulting collaborations helped shape Ms. Gini’s research and professional development. 

“I have created a great network of international colleagues in academia and industry, with whom I continue to collaborate, because of these opportunities.”

Celebrating and planning

Ms. Gini will attend her convocation ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 16, and has big plans for post-graduation.

She is involved in several international projects, including two more research cruises in the coming years to explore fracture zones, lava flows and hydrothermal vents in the Atlantic Ocean.

Among many future opportunities and aspirations, she says she is most excited about a follow-up expedition during which she’ll explore radioactive waste barrels discarded up until the 1980s in the Atlantic Ocean.

She will dive up to 5,000-metre depths in the French submersible Nautile to explore the dump sites.