Bassam Alshammari

My research focuses on reconstructing the palaeoenvironment, palaeoclimate, and stratigraphic evolution of the Arabian Plate, with particular emphasis on the critical Triassic–Jurassic boundary. This interval marks one of Earth’s major mass extinction events. By investigating the sedimentological and geochemical signatures preserved across this boundary, I aim to understand how the event is recorded in the region’s geological record and what it reveals about environmental and climatic change during that time.

I am a DPhil student in Earth Sciences at the University of Oxford, specialising in sedimentology and stratigraphy of the Arabian Plate. My current research focuses on the Triassic–Jurassic boundary, an interval marked by one of Earth’s severe mass extinction events, with the aim of reconstructing environmental change through integrated sedimentological and geochemical analysis.

Prior to joining Oxford, I worked as a lead geologist at Saudi Aramco, leading a team delivering subsurface characterisation for exploration and development projects. My experience spans multiple depositional environments, including aeolian, fluvial, and shallow marine deposits. I hold an MPhil in Sedimentary Geology (Distinction) from the University of Leeds, where I investigated fluvial to shallow-marine successions in the Middle Jurassic successions in the Arabian plate, and a BSc (Hons) in Geology from the University of Liverpool.

My research has been presented at prominent international conferences, including AAPG, IAS, BSRG, EAGE and MEOS GEO. I have actively contributed to technical training, mentored emerging geoscientists, and played key roles in conference organisation, serving as a co-theme lead for the siliciclastic sedimentary systems theme at AAPG IMAGE 2022 and as a technical committee member for MEOS GEO events.