Rate My Professor Hugo Olierook

Dr. Hugo Olierook is a Senior Research Fellow and DECRA Fellow in the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Curtin University, Faculty of Science and Engineering, where he also serves as Deputy Director of the Curtin Frontier Institute for Geoscience Solutions. He completed an Honours degree in Geology and a PhD in Geology at Curtin University, with his doctoral thesis titled 'Tectono-stratigraphic evolution during rifting of the southwestern Australian margin.' Following a postdoctoral position at the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom, he returned to Perth as a postdoctoral research associate on the 'Distal Footprints of Ore Systems' project in the Capricorn Orogen, Western Australia. His career at Curtin spans research, teaching, and industry collaboration, with a focus on advancing geoscience solutions for energy transition and mineral exploration.

Olierook's research specializations include tectonics, mineral systems, geochronology, isotope geochemistry, and basin analysis. He investigates the tempo of volatile gas emissions from supervolcanic eruptions over the last 500 million years to understand controls on past environmental crises. Through bespoke geochronology and geochemistry projects, he supports the mining and mineral exploration industry and connects industry partners with Curtin researchers. Key publications include 'Emplacement of the Argyle diamond deposit into an ancient rift zone triggered by supercontinent breakup' (Nature Communications, 2023), 'Regional zircon U-Pb geochronology for the Maniitsoq region, southwest Greenland' (Scientific Data, 2021), 'Grey Hill zircon – A natural high 176Yb/177Hf zircon reference material for LA-MC-ICP-MS Hf isotope measurement' (Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research, 2025), and contributions to Chemical Geology and Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta on apatite and Rb-Sr geochronology (in review/2026). His work has over 2100 citations on Google Scholar. Olierook has received the Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) Fellowship and the Young Tall Poppy Scientist of the Year award for Western Australia in 2023. He contributes to teaching structural geology and geoscience outreach to school students and underrepresented groups.