WA – Organic & Isotope Geochemistry Centre
WA-OIGC is an international recognised Centre contributing to world-class research aiming to:
- Improve our ability to forecast environmental responses to climate change;
- Help to manage current threats to biodiversity;
- Increase the ability to identify crude oil and gas sources, to the benefit of petroleum exploration;
- Improve our understanding of controls on water quality and to help protect our precious freshwater resources which are already under intense pressure from climate change and urban development.
Research in current priority areas at Curtin: Application areas of biomarker and compound specific isotope research include the study of climatic trends both past and present, issues concerning environmental sustainability research (e.g., water, sediments and soil) as well as assisting the full realisation of Australia’s natural resources (e.g., petroleum, gas exploration).
These application areas are consistent with the ARC National Research Priorities (i.e., Environmentally sustainable Australia – developing deep Earth resources – water a critical resource). Curtin has identified "Resources and Energy and Sustainable Development and Technologies" as key research themes.
The Centre is also part of the The Institute of Geoscience Research (TIGeR) a new research initiative that comprises researchers from the Tectonics Special Research Centre (TSRC) and the John de Laeter Centre of Mass Spectrometry (JdLCMS). TIGeR is one of the university’s leading research groups and is a Curtin University Tier 1 Research Centre. WA-OIGC also has a formal link with Curtin Water Quality Research Centre (CWQRC). Certain academics within the centre are associated with IGCP project and are members of the Australian Centre for Astrobiology.