Paloma is a Chemist and works at the stable isotope laboratory. She measures the stable isotope abundance of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur in samples from ancient Earth rocks and from extreme environments on the planet through isotope ratio mass spectrometry. Paloma also analyzes stable isotopes in individual compounds, separated from complex samples, through mass spectrometry – gas chromatography – isotope ratio mass spectrometry.

Specific isotopic abundances serve to unveil the biogeochemical processes involved in the evolution of microscopic life on ancient Earth and its adaptation to extreme environments.