Gracie Babineaux is a Ph.D. candidate in Earth and Energy Sciences at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, specializing in benthic foraminifera in methane seep environments. Her research focuses on understanding the stable isotopic response of benthic foraminifera to methane and their biodiversity and ecological roles. With the help of funding from the National Science Foundation, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, and the Geological Society of America, Gracie has worked with foraminifera in the Gulf of Mexico and Cascadian Margin regions, integrating sedimentology and geochemical data to reconstruct past methane seepage dynamics and improving the use of foraminifera as a proxy for paleoenvironmental conditions.
On the Chile Margin expedition, Gracie will be studying the populations and assemblages of living and fossilized benthic foraminifera at paleo-seepage sites along the Chilean Margin and their geochemical responses to methane emissions. This is her first research cruise, so she is excited to work with her fellow scientists aboard the ship.
Gracie received her B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Environmental Geology at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. In addition to working in the Sedimentary Basins Research Group, she also works with the Lafayette Science Museum in K-12 STEM education and community outreach.
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