Bella Duncan

Recent graduate from the Antarctic Research Centre, Dr Bella Duncan, began her journey at this University with a Bachelor of Science in Geology and Geography.

After her first year, she was hooked on earth science and went on to complete a Master of Science and PhD and was given the opportunity to visit Antarctica as part of those studies.

She now works as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow within the Antarctic Research Centre where she uses molecular fossils—the chemical remnants of once living plants and other organisms—to look at the climate in Antarctica during periods of warmer temperatures and higher atmospheric CO₂ in the past.

“This is a pretty new area of research, and, in particular, hasn’t been used much in Antarctica. It’s so exciting to discover what our planet used to be like.

“Antarctica plays a key role in our global climate system, and what happens there under current climate change will have wide ranging implications for the planet. Therefore, understanding how the Antarctic ice sheets and Antarctic climate have responded to past periods of warmer temperatures and higher CO₂ levels is critical for figuring out how they may respond to present changes to the climate.”

“It’s a privilege to be able to work in an area contributing to our understanding of climate change.”

Bella says visiting and conducting research in Antarctica has been a career highlight. “I vividly remember picking up rocks containing leaf fossils and understanding that the now icy, barren landscape I was standing on had once been covered in forests.

“Being an Antarctic scientist can lead you through a big range of emotions. There are days when researching the impacts of climate change can make you feel pretty frustrated and down, but conversely there are also times of optimism, hope, and the excitement of scientific discovery.”