Know Your Colleagues | Harrison Jarman
Harrison is undertaking a PhD in Marine Geochemistry, supervised by Indrani Mukherjee
Published on the 29 October 2026
Research Story
What is your research about?
Around half of the seafloor is made up of the skeletal remains of organisms that produce calcium carbonate shells. As these organisms grow, they incorporate trace elements and isotopes from seawater into their shells, preserving a chemical record of past environmental conditions. By analysing marine sediment cores from the Australian shelf, my research aims to better understand how the chemistry of these carbonate archives has changed through time and what this can tell us about major shifts in Earth's climate over the last 66 million years. Despite the region's importance, the marine carbonate record of Australasia remains relatively understudied, making it a key area for improving our understanding of long-term climate and environmental change.
What inspired you to pursue this research topic?
An extremely supportive supervisor and scientific drilling community.
What has been the most interesting or surprising part of your HDR journey so far?
That you have to pay to get your paper published!
What is one challenge in your research that people outside academia or your field may not realise?
That the seafloor isn't just sand.
Life Beyond Research
What do you enjoy doing outside of research or study?
Cooking, camping and watching movies
Is there a food, tradition, place, or activity from your culture/home country that you would recommend everyone experience? *
Taking the Manly ferry during rough weather
Do you have a favourite book, movie, podcast, song, or hobby you would recommend to others?
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Advice & Reflections
What advice would you give to new HDR students joining your research group?
Seize every opportunity that comes to you.
What is something people in the research group might be surprised to learn about you?
I hate bananas.
If you could collaborate with anyone in the world - past or present - who would it be and why?
George RR Martin because I wish I could write as well as him.
Bonus Questions
Coffee, tea or something else? Coffee.
Favourite work spot: The pXRF lab on level 5
Best conference city visited? Sydney - the only other conference I've attended was in Melbourne ;)