Background

Originally from Hebden Bridge, a small town in West Yorkshire (UK), my interest in Earth Sciences began during my A-Levels. This prompted me to pursue a BSc in Physical Geography at the University of Leeds, which gave me a new and life-changing perspective of Earth Sciences and Geography. Inspired by my time in Leeds,  after completing my BSc I embarked on an MSc by Research at the University of Durham (UK), under the supervision of Prof. James Baldini and Dr. Richard Brown. Here, I was first introduced to the disciplines of speleology and geochemistry, and my first experience of truly independent research also served to deepened my passion, and curiosity, for Quaternary volcanology and paleoclimatology. In 2024, I successfully defended my PhD at the University of Oxford (UK) after four years working under the supervision of Prof. Tamsin Mather, Prof. Stuart Robinson, and Prof. David Pyle, and funded by European Research Council (ERC) grant V-ECHO. Since my defence in August 2024, I have been based at the University of Basel as a post-doctoral researcher, and member of the SNSF Sinergia Project: “Holocene hydroclimate, drought dynamics and environmental changes recorded in multiple archives from SW Asia (MITRA)”.

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Alongside my science I thrive when outside in nature, and readily seek out opportunities to explore new and interesting landscapes . Memorable trips have included: Iceland (2018/19), La Palma (2019, 2022), Lanzarote (2016, 2019), Tenerife (2020, 2022), Wales, UK (2019), and Cumbria, UK (2017, 2018). I am also a Crossfit athlete, and founder of Alice Paine Pencil Art: a small freelance art business offering commission-based works for a wide range of customers across the UK, Europe, USA, and Australia/New Zealand.