Staff profiles
Sonja BermudezGeological Research Labs and Collections Manager
Biography
Sonja is the Geological Research Laboratories and Collections Manager and is responsible for staff and labs at both Gracefield and Avalon sites. Sonja's expertise lies in Paleontology and Mineral Separation - primarily the manual and chemical extraction and examination of microfossils including pollen, foraminifera, radiolarians and diatoms. She has researched early Eocene foraminifera from the Clarence Valley in Marlborough and is currently looking at modern microfossils in harbour sediments from around Aotearoa.
Qualifications
- BSc, Biochemistry and Genetics
- MSc, Geology
Areas of expertise
- Geology: Paleoclimatology
- Palynology: Palynological processing
- Geology: Paleoenvironmental Studies
- Paleontology: Micropaleontogy
- Paleontology: Palynology
- Paleontology: Biostratigraphy
- Paleontology: Foraminifera
- Paleontology: Radiolarian processing
- Palynology: Melissopalynology
- Paleontology: Diatom processing
- Paleontology: Foraminifera processing
- Molecular Microbiology: Genetics
- Molecular Microbiology: Biochemistry
- Paleontology: Laboratory Management
- Geology: Mineral Separation