https://www.uctlightisotopes.co.za/about daily 0.75 2021-06-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1620736268533-ZXN0F7IXH94STLOPVUM3/090.jpg About - The Stable Light Isotope Laboratory at UCT is one of only a few labs of its kind in Africa. It provides an essential research tool for many disciplines within the Earth and Life Sciences, including archaeology, geology, oceanography, plant and animal physiology and ecology and biomedical sciences. The research group measures naturally occurring variations in the stable light isotopes (mainly carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen) to investigate many processes in the natural world, such as flows of nutrients through foodwebs. We are particularly interested in past diets and climate. We offer a range of analytical services for researchers, along with training, and scope for collaboration. Lab history The Stable Light Isotope Laboratory at UCT was founded in the mid-1970s by Nikolaas van der Merwe when he took up the Chair of Archaeology at UCT. Initially samples were prepared in Cape Town and purified carbon dioxide gas (in glass flasks) flown to Pretoria, where the isotope measurements were made in John Vogel’s lab at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Among the early projects was their joint study of the introduction of maize farming into eastern North America – the very first application of ¹³C/¹²C as a dietary tracer. In 1982 the lab acquired its first light isotope mass spectrometer (a VG 602E), followed in 1994 by a Finnigan 252 with elemental analyser and Kiel device. These enabled automated gas production, purification and introduction into the mass spec, allowing much larger numbers of samples to be analysed. The success of the lab was critically dependent on John Lanham’s maintenance and supervision of these and subsequent instruments until his retirement in 2018. By that time, the lab was producing more than 20 000 stable isotope analyses per year for users from UCT, institutions elsewhere in South Africa, other African countries and beyond. Recently, the lab has received a major boost from the Biogeochemistry Research Infrastructure Platform (BIOGRIP), which has supported the acquisition of new IRMS and TILDAS instruments, as well as ancillary smaller items of equipment. A major renovation and upgrade of our lab is planned for 2021-2022. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1614600950326-XNY1H7Z2HNK3WADW7WN6/Nikolaas-J.png About Nikolaas van der Merwe next to a manual gas separation line in the Stable Light Isotope Laboratory in 1999. https://www.uctlightisotopes.co.za/people daily 0.75 2025-03-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1615192828164-XP42GCT2OXPM4W41XIPB/Chris.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1615192604488-FQK0XOL8G18PXZE397H5/Judith%252BSealy.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1615192633839-SZWS4LA36N2D0CWVUSU6/Vincent%252BHare.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1615192666024-5GBKFNDTNUWFCWX51MIJ/Julie%252BLuyt.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1615194030234-HETA0J26IC2VZNHLQ9NY/ISOTOPE003.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/4de62e87-5fc3-4447-afc1-7d381f0de793/Sangbaran+Ghoshmaulik.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/7ea70e47-cf95-4159-b097-cc08bbf7b29f/Anna+Kudriavtseva_Postodoc.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/cbb5d60b-5acd-4255-a6d3-488e49a2ea11/Maximilian+Spies_postdoc.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/b1d2403f-ec0d-4e03-bf49-054400b58077/Malefeu+Lethuba_PhD.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/c2de3ea1-5dca-4bd7-8e96-5eb23f1415d5/Gemma+Poretti_MSc.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/10919164-8bdd-4294-8560-5f380c4c2cf8/Siobh%C3%A1n+Forbes-Wilkinson_MSc.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/95f10f46-6522-4851-99e9-29ee55c373c4/Amber+Wilson_MSc.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1615188837158-WMHIPQJ0IP3EAS4SMZT5/ISOTOPE020.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1615188913110-PNRQZ0VRUB6U06R0TZYX/John.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1615192271033-368TH9ATAK7DHCA4HT53/nick_vdmerw1.jpg https://www.uctlightisotopes.co.za/publications daily 0.75 2021-06-21 https://www.uctlightisotopes.co.za/services daily 0.75 2025-02-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1614600959609-17HN824VFCKIDUZP96X1/ISOTOPE006.jpg Services https://www.uctlightisotopes.co.za/home daily 1.0 2026-02-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1614600962078-F4NN876N3X01Y0T6UQCP/ISOTOPE031.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1614600962080-WSWFOTJHN0XX8NH9U4R7/ISOTOPE024.jpg Home - State of the art facilities The UCT stabel light isotopes laboratory is located within the Archaeology Department. We have three light isotope ratio mass spectrometers (IRMS), a Delta Plus XP and two Delta V instruments interfaced with peripherals such as elemental analysers and gas benches. We are equipped to measure carbon, nitrogen and soon sulphur isotopes in organic materials, and carbon and oxygen in carbonate and air/breath samples. In addition, our lab has recently acquired a tunable infrared laser direct absorption spectrometer (TILDAS) for high precision measurements of CO₂ isotopologues. The laboratory is equipped with a full complement of sample preparation facilities, including microbalances, centrifuges, and freeze-dryers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1620732753875-XKZK29QX4B5VG8O9R59I/ISOTOPE042.jpg Home - Multi-disciplinary research The UCT Stable Light Isotope Laboratory, one of only a few on the African continent, provides state-of-the-art and routine stable light isotope analyses for users from the University of Cape Town, the South African research community, and abroad. Stable isotopes are widely used as tracers in the earth and life sciences; some of the many applications include tracking the pathways of nutrients in foodwebs, monitoring source inputs to environmental reservoirs (e.g. fossil fuels to atmospheric CO₂, recharge of groundwater), understanding the origins of ore deposits and investigating the origins and landscape-scale mobility of humans or endangered wildlife. Our state-of-the-art equipment is maintained by highly skilled scientists, who are at hand to help guide your analyses. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1614600962087-TT5KABY9E4AGBXFDHY8X/ISOTOPE029.jpg Home - Short course: Introduction to stable isotopes Explore the theory and principles of stable light isotope research and its applications in the earth and life sciences with our 10-day short course. https://www.uctlightisotopes.co.za/research daily 0.75 2021-05-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1614600965877-NCYQ2OXYTDW2LFW9J00Z/ISOTOPE025.jpg Research - Our projects Current projects Studies of palaeo-ecology through isotopic analyses of modern and fossil biominerals (e.g. teeth, bones from archaeological and palaeontological sites). Particular foci include: Ungulate δ¹⁸O as a proxy for aridity Serial sampling of enamel from teeth Isotopic analysis of ostrich eggshell (OES) and its applicability to palaeoclimate reconstruction Exploring the use of carnivore stable isotopes as environmental integrators in southern African winter rainfall ecosystems. Diets and lifeways of ancient foragers and farming communities in southern Africa and elsewhere. Exploring the applicability of stable isotopes as a forensic tool in Africa. Stable carbon isotope systematics of C₃ plant systems, and implications for palaeoecology, palaeoatmospheres, and palaeoclimates. Development of rare isotopologues of CO₂ as tracers for the carbon cycle and as pCO₂ proxies from fossil biominerals and other carbonates; in particular the use of TILDAS for such measurements. Publications Our lab has facilitated a large amount of research led by UCT staff and students, and other members of the South African and international research community. The results have been published in leading journals and helped further scientific discovery. See a selection of our recent publications here. Opportunities We dedicated to supporting research and sharing our expertise. Opportunities are available to master’s and PhD students, technicians, and for post-doctoral researchers with related interests. Please contact Prof Judith Sealy (judith.sealy@uct.ac.za), Dr Vincent Hare (vincent.hare@uct.ac.za) or Dr Julie Luyt (julie.luyt@uct.ac.za), to find out more. https://www.uctlightisotopes.co.za/course daily 0.75 2026-02-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/a062a0b7-2332-49cc-a0fb-0f4c5b079b7b/UCT+Light+Isotopes_Course+2025.JPG Course - Principles of stable light isotope mass spectrometry and applications in the natural environment. Dates: 25 - 29 May 2026 / Dates for 2027 TBC Costs: R3 500 for participants from outside UCT, and R800 for UCT students and staff. Fees cover course materials and morning tea. Meals and accommodation are not included. Convener: Professor Judith Sealy A course on the principles of stable light isotope mass spectrometry and applications in the natural sciences will be offered from 25 - 29 May 2026, based at Stable Light Isotope Laboratory at the University of Cape Town. The course format consists of an intensive series of daily lectures, tutorials and lab and instrument demonstrations over the course of one week. We aim to cover the theory and principles of stable light isotope research in general, and then to discuss applications in the life and earth sciences in particular. The course will be of interest to scientists in these disciplines who wish to use stable light isotopes as a tool in their particular fields. It is intended especially for post-graduate students intending to use these approaches in their thesis research. At the end of the course, certificates of attendance are issued to those whose attendance and participation has been satisfactory. Course content Lectures progress from general principles through more detailed attention to individual light isotopes (C, N, O, H) in various kinds of materials, and their use as research tools. Topics covered include the following: Theory of fractionation, isotope effects, equilibria and kinetic effects History of the field Carbon isotopes and the carbon cycle, emphasising (i) photosynthesis, water use efficiency studies, plants and climate change in plant sciences, and (ii) animal and human foodwebs, and applications in ecology and archaeology Nitrogen isotopes in marine and terrestrial foodwebs, nutrient cycling Oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in hydrology Oxygen isotopes in carbonates and other minerals, applied to oxygen isotope stratigraphy, palaeothermometry and environmental reconstruction Brief discussion of isotopic tools applied in forensics, pollution studies, and quality control (commercial applications) Course Schedule View the example course schedule here. https://www.uctlightisotopes.co.za/past-students daily 0.75 2021-05-11 https://www.uctlightisotopes.co.za/people-copy-postdocs daily 0.75 2021-03-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1615192604488-FQK0XOL8G18PXZE397H5/Judith%252BSealy.jpg People (Copy) Postdocs - Professor Judith Sealy Tobias Keene, D.D.S. Hailing from Richmond, Virginia, Dr. Tobias Keene brings a bit of unabashed Southern hospitality to all his patients. He moved to Washington, D.C. over thirty years ago as a freshman at Ivy College. Right after graduation, he attended World University’s School of Dentistry. Before opening Keene Dental in 1994, he worked for free clinics and some of the finest practices in the District. He is part of the 123 Dental Association and stays up-to-date on the latest dental discoveries. When not striving to keep his patients happy and healthy, he’s enjoys hiking with his family in Rock Creek Park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1615192633839-SZWS4LA36N2D0CWVUSU6/Vincent%252BHare.jpg People (Copy) Postdocs - Dr Vincent Hare Vincent Hare is an Earth scientist whose research interests span Cenozoic palaeoclimatology, palaeoenvironments, novel dating methods, past climate change, and the carbon cycle. His special research interest is the application of stable isotope geochemistry to understanding changes in ancient atmospheres, to better understand fossil and archaeological plants, and to refine predictions of future climate change. He holds degrees in both Physics and Archaeological Sciences from the University of Cape Town and Oxford (MSc, DPhil), where he was Clarendon Scholar. Hare is currently a member of the American Geophysical Union and the European Geophysical Union, Secretary of the Southern African Society for Quaternary Research, and Past Global Changes (PAGES) Early Career Representative for Africa. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1615192666024-5GBKFNDTNUWFCWX51MIJ/Julie%252BLuyt.jpg People (Copy) Postdocs - Dr Julie Luyt Julie Luyt obtained her PhD from the University of Cape Town. Her interests lie in the effects of environmental and climatic variables on stable carbon, nitrogen and oxygen isotopic ratios of fauna. Studies of contemporary fauna provide a baseline for the interpretation of analyses of archaeological and fossil animals. Her focus is on the winter rainfall zone in the southwestern part of Africa, where reconstruction of palaeoclimates and palaeoenvironments help to contextualize important archaeological sites that record evidence of early modern humans. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1615192828164-XP42GCT2OXPM4W41XIPB/Chris.jpg People (Copy) Postdocs - Prof Chris Harris (affiliated, from Department of Geological Sciences) Chris Harris is a geologist and geochemist and is Professor of Mineralogy and Geology. His research interest lies in stable isotopes in igneous rocks and hydrological systems, economic geology. He runs the high temperature geochemistry facility in Geology that has a number of extraction lines for the measurement of stable isotope ratios of O, C, and H in rock (silicates and carbonates), mineral and water samples. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1615193958008-1PFU090YVLUGPD32LPCQ/ISOTOPE003.jpg People (Copy) Postdocs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1615194030234-HETA0J26IC2VZNHLQ9NY/ISOTOPE003.jpg People (Copy) Postdocs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1615191722155-JR6KDSI2EHN7JVMS94Q5/ISOTOPE003.jpg People (Copy) Postdocs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1615192003453-4ID9V1FG5CBVU9EC9X7L/IMG_1010.jpg People (Copy) Postdocs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1615192029520-L4BJ9X8KG43XWY7PB9GK/drake.jpg People (Copy) Postdocs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1615192070996-NMRAEHLS24IT1VJ6E438/hOPE.jpg People (Copy) Postdocs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1615192053487-908JIEV9WOJ4YX16V49X/004.jpg People (Copy) Postdocs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1615188837158-WMHIPQJ0IP3EAS4SMZT5/ISOTOPE020.jpg People (Copy) Postdocs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1615188913110-PNRQZ0VRUB6U06R0TZYX/John.jpg People (Copy) Postdocs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/603cdaf5634631314e1fed49/1615192271033-368TH9ATAK7DHCA4HT53/nick_vdmerw1.jpg People (Copy) Postdocs https://www.uctlightisotopes.co.za/mywot44d0a4aeaac35b613298 daily 0.75 2021-06-21