Research

Sedimentology, isotope geochemistry, trace metal geochemistry, Precambrian geology and geobiology

I’m interested in the interactions between life and the environment on the early Earth. To address this, I use a combination of field work, sedimentary geochemistry and experiments to infer how oxygen levels and nutrient availability have changed through time on local and global scales. I then tie these constraints directly to geobiological records.

My specific research interests include:

• Origins of banded iron formation
• Patterns of metal availability in seawater through time
• Bio-availability of phosphorous in anoxic oceans
• The marine sulfur cycle in the modern ocean and deep time
• The origin and diversification of animals
• Changes in oxygen availability in the oceans through time

Selected Publications

More on Google Scolar

1. Tostevin, R. & Ahmed, I. A. M., 2023, Micronutrient availability in Precambrian Oceans controlled by greenalite formation, Nature Geoscience, 1–6.

2. Brady, M., Tostevin, R., Tosca, N. J., 2022, Marine phosphate availability and the chemical origins of life on Earth Nature Communications

3. Tostevin, R., Snow, J. T., Zhang, Q., Tosca, N. J., Rickaby, R. E. M., 2021. The influence of elevated SiO2(aq) on intracellular silica uptake and microbial metabolism. Geobiology.

Courses Lectured

• Mapping, sedimentology and economic geology (First year)

• Stratigraphy and geology of South Africa (Third year)

• Marine geochemistry (Honours)

Graduated Students

Biography

Degrees:

• PhD, University College London, 2014
• MSci (with 1^st class honours), University of Cambridge, 2011

Employment:

• Lecturer, University of Cape Town, 2019 – present
• Postdoctoral research associate, University of Oxford, 2015–2019
• Postdoctoral research associate, University of Otago, 2015