Rate My Professor Candace Martin

Candace E. Martin is an Honorary Senior Lecturer in the Department of Geology, Sciences Division, at the University of Otago. She holds a BS from the University of North Carolina, an MPhil from Yale University, and a PhD from Yale University. She conducted postdoctoral research at the Carnegie Institution of Science, the California Institute of Technology, and the Australian National University. Martin joined the University of Otago in 2002 as a Senior Lecturer and teaches a range of courses including EAOS 111 Earth and Ocean Science, GEOL 112 Dynamic Earth: A New Zealand Perspective, GEOL 251 Minerals and Rocks, GEOL 262 and GEOL 362 Geochemistry, GEOL 401 Current Topics and Advanced Methods in Geoscience, and GEOL 422 Geochemistry, Petrology, Volcanology.

Her research focuses on environmental geology, biogeochemical cycles, radiogenic isotope geochemistry, trace element geochemistry, and aqueous geochemistry. Specific interests include Nd-Sr isotopic and trace element geochemistry of river sediments and soils, sources and sinks of unradiogenic osmium runoff, and chemical and physical weathering processes monitored by bedload sediment compositions. She supervises postgraduate students on topics such as the influence of clay mineral properties on soil expansion in Southland, geochemistry of historic mine waters in Otago, biosorption of heavy metals from water, and tracing gold mineralization and heavy-metal pollution using lead isotopes. Key publications include Corella Santa Cruz et al. (2025) 'Geochemical and isotopic characterisation of trench sediment at the Hikurangi Margin from IODP sites U1518 and U1520' in New Zealand Journal of Geology & Geophysics; Alpos et al. (2021) 'Understanding in vivo mastication behaviour and in vitro starch and protein digestibility of pulsed electric field-treated black beans after cooking' in Foods; Singh et al. (2019) 'Cucumber peel bead biosorbent for multi-ion decontamination of drinking water collected from a mine region in New Zealand' in Environmental Technology; and Pettinger et al. (2018) 'Sources and downstream variation of surface water phosphorus concentrations in the Taieri River, New Zealand' in New Zealand Journal of Geology & Geophysics. Her contributions advance knowledge of geochemical processes in New Zealand's river systems and mining-impacted environments.