Simon George

Personal profile

Biography

BSc (Hons), St Andrews, Scotland
PhD, Newcastle upon Tyne, England

Professor Simon George is the leader of the organic geochemistry group at the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. He is also the Director of the Macquarie University Marine Research Centre. He was the Acting Head of the EPS Department from Jan 2014 until 1st February 2015 and was Deputy Head of the EPS Department, 2018-2019.

Simon George has more than 30 years experience in organic geochemistry, including 15 years specialising in petroleum geochemistry at CSIRO. Organic geochemistry involves the study of the chemical and isotopic signatures in rocks and sediments, which tell us information about the past. We can reconstruct the nature and timing of important events in the evolution of life. Biomarkers are hydrocarbons that retain the structural information from the original lipids from which they were derived. Biomarkers and other hydrocarbons in oils, rocks and sediments provide us the ability to understand source inputs, subsequent burial and heating history (thermal maturity) and alteration events (such as oil biodegradation). The chemistry of insoluble fractions of organic matter, such as kerogen and asphaltenes, provides further useful information.

Research interests

Further details about my organic geochemistry research:

The organic geochemistry group at Macquarie University

My research projects and ideas

Information about the organic geochemical laboratory at Macquarie University

Information about my students .

Information for those interested in coming to Macquarie University to carry out research with Simon George

Publications by Simon George

Biography

Teaching responsibilities

Main Undergraduate teaching

GEOS112: The Planet Earth. I teach about the biosphere (Module 4)

GEOS126: Marine Geoscience. Fieldwork to Port Hacking.

GEOS125: Earth Dynamics. Workshop on fossil fuels.

GEOS204: Life, the Universe and Everything. Convenor, many lectures and some practicals.

GEOS206: Marine Depositional Environments. I teach on the South Coast of NSW fieldtrip to Kioloa in April.

GEOS251: Geopolitics- the science of climate, energy, and our future. Module on Fossil Fuels and CO₂ sequestration.

GEOS309: Earth System History. Some lectures and practicals.

Other Undergraduate teaching

GEOS226: Introduction to Field Geology. Sometimes teach on the Keepit fieldtrip.

Postgraduate teaching

GEOS710: Records of Palaeoenvironments: Life and Geochemistry Convenor, 4 weeks teaching for Master Research students.

GEOS920: Palaeoenvironments and Biogeochemistry. Convenor, 4 weeks teaching, for master coursework students (Master of Science).

GEOS791/807: Research Topic in Earth and Planetary Sciences for MRes and MGeoscience cohort: teach organic geochemistry laboratory research experience.

Research Enrichment Programme (REP) Postgraduate modules: Where biology, geology and chemistry meet: Frontiers in Biogeochemistry; What's In Stuff? (with Damian Gore); Geosphere-Biosphere Interactions (With Matthew Kosnick and Craig O’Neill).

Conferences that I chaired

Australian Organic Geochemistry Conference: Macquarie University, 2-5th December 2012

Chairman and co-convener of the joint Australian Organic Geochemistry Conference (AOGC) and International Humic Substances Society (IHSS) Meeting, Leura, NSW, February 2004

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Projects

12 Active
33 Finished

Organic geochemistry of Eocene to Oligocene sediments in the Tasmania Gateway – a detailed analysis of depositional environment, organic matter inputs, and palaeo sea surface temperature, ODP Leg 189

Harper, C. & George, S.

22/10/18 → 22/10/20

Project: Other

Geochemical changes during coal biodegradation to methane

George, S., Campbell, B. & Loehr, S.

5/03/18 → 5/03/21

Project: Research

Palaeoenvironments and thermal maturity of the Permian southern Sydney Basin, from drillcore DM Callala DDH1

George, S. & Campbell, B.

1/08/17 → …

Project: Research

Stromatolite Construction, Biofacies and Biomarkers in Lower Cambrian Carbonates of the Hawker Group, Arrowie Basin, South Australia

George, S. & Teece, B.

1/05/17 → …

Project: Research

Pyrolysis equipment for chemical analysis of large organic molecules

George, S., Loehr, S., Jacob, D., Brock, G., Armand, L., Strezov, V., Handley, H. & Abbott, A.

1/01/17 → …

Project: Research

Research Outputs

2583 Citations
31 h-Index
139 Abstract
106 Article
65 Other chapter contribution
18 Conference proceeding contribution
51 More

The transformation of sediment into rock: insights from IODP site U1352, Canterbury Basin, New Zealand

Marsaglia, K. M., Browne, G. H., George, S. C., Kemp, D. B., Jaeger, J. M., Carson, D., Richaud, M. & IODP Expedition 317 Scientific Party, 2017, In : Journal of Sedimentary Research. 87, 3, p. 272-287 16 p.