Staff profile

• Using novel lipid biomarkers (bacteriohopanepolyols, intact phospholipids, glycerol dibiphytanyl glycerol tetraethers etc) to investigate microbial processes in soils, sediments, extreme environments.
• Reconstructing sea surface temperatures during the Quaternary
• Investigating biogeochemical cycling in modern and past settings

• 2014: Discussion leader: Analytical Advances and Novel Environments session at Gordon Research Seminar (Organic Geochemistry, Holderness)
• 2013: Student committee member: IAPETUS PhD student conference (Durham University)
• 2016-Present: Faculty Chair of Research Staff Association (Social Sciences and Health):
• 2013-2016: Early Career Researcher representative: Biogeoscience division of European Geoscience Union

Doctoral Thesis

• Novel concepts derived from microbial biomarkers in the Congo System: Implications for continental methane cycling
  
  Spencer-Jones, C. (2016). Novel concepts derived from microbial biomarkers in the Congo System: Implications for continental methane cycling [Thesis]. Newcastle University.

Journal Article

• Ocean heat forced West Antarctic Ice Sheet retreat after the Last Glacial Maximum
  
  Mawbey, E. M., Smith, J. A., Hillenbrand, C., Hendry, K. R., McClymont, E. L., Greaves, M. J., Klages, J. P., Kuhn, G., Radionovskaya, S., Spencer-Jones, C. L., Larter, R. D., Wellner, J. S., & Dutrieux, P. (2026). Ocean heat forced West Antarctic Ice Sheet retreat after the Last Glacial Maximum. Nature Communications, 17(1), Article 2079. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-68949-5
• Diversity of Microbial Mats in the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, Botswana.
  
  Filippidou, S., Price, A., Spencer-Jones, C., Scales, A., Macey, M. C., Franchi, F., Lebogang, L., Cavalazzi, B., Schwenzer, S. P., & Olsson-Francis, K. (2024). Diversity of Microbial Mats in the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, Botswana. Microorganisms, 12(1), 147. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12010147
• Summer sea-ice variability on the Antarctic margin during the last glacial period reconstructed from snow petrel (Pagodroma nivea) stomach-oil deposits
  
  McClymont, E. L., Bentley, M. J., Hodgson, D. A., Spencer-Jones, C. L., Wardley, T., West, M. D., Croudace, I. W., Berg, S., Gröcke, D. R., Kuhn, G., Jamieson, S. S., Sime, L., & Phillips, R. A. (2022). Summer sea-ice variability on the Antarctic margin during the last glacial period reconstructed from snow petrel (Pagodroma nivea) stomach-oil deposits. Climate of the Past, 18(2), 381-403. https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-381-2022
• Snow petrel stomach-oil deposits as a new biological archive of Antarctic sea ice
  
  McClymont, E. L., Bentley, M. J., Hodgson, D. A., Spencer-Jones, C. L., Wardley, T., West, M. D., Croudace, I. W., Berg, S., Gröcke, D. R., Kuhn, G., Jamieson, S. S. R., Sime, L. C., & Phillips, R. A. (2022). Snow petrel stomach-oil deposits as a new biological archive of Antarctic sea ice. Past Global Changes Magazine, 30(2), 82-83. https://doi.org/10.22498/pages.30.2.82
• Archaeal Intact Polar Lipids in Polar Waters: A Comparison Between the Amundsen and Scotia Seas
  
  Spencer-Jones, C. L., McClymont, E. L., Bale, N., Hopmans, E., Schouten, S., Muller, J., Abrahamsen, E., Allen, C., Bickert, T., Hillenbrand, C., Mawbey, E., Peck, V., Svalova, A., & Smith, J. (2021). Archaeal Intact Polar Lipids in Polar Waters: A Comparison Between the Amundsen and Scotia Seas. Biogeosciences, 18(11), 3485-3504. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3485-2021
• A record of aerobic methane oxidation in tropical Africa over the last 2.5 Ma
  
  Spencer-Jones, C., Wagner, T., & Talbot, H. (2017). A record of aerobic methane oxidation in tropical Africa over the last 2.5 Ma. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 218, 27-39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2017.08.042
• Analysis of non-derivatised bacteriohopanepolyols by ultra high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry
  
  Talbot, H., Sidgwick, F., Bischoff, J., Osborne, K., Rush, D., Sherry, A., & Spencer-Jones, C. (2016). Analysis of non-derivatised bacteriohopanepolyols by ultra high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 30(19), 2087-2098. https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.7696
• Hydrologic control of the terrestrial carbon balance in the Congo River basin.
  
  Schefuß, E., Eglinton, T., Spencer-Jones, C., Rullkotter, J., DePolHolz, R., Talbot, H., Grootes, P., & Schneider, R. (2016). Hydrologic control of the terrestrial carbon balance in the Congo River basin. Nature Geoscience, 9, 687-690. https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2778
• Bacteriohopanepolyols in tropical soils and sediments from the Congo River catchment area
  
  Spencer-Jones, C., Wagner, T., Dinga, B., Schefuß, E., Mann, P., Poulsen, J., Spencer, R., Wabakanghanzi, J., & Talbot, H. (2015). Bacteriohopanepolyols in tropical soils and sediments from the Congo River catchment area. Organic Geochemistry, 89-90, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2015.09.003
• Variability in aerobic methane oxidation over the past 1.2 Myrs recorded in microbial biomarker signatures from Congo fan sediments
  
  Talbot, H., Handley, L., Spencer-Jones, C., Bienvenu, D., Schefuß, E., Mann, P., Poulsen, J., Spencer, R., Wabakanghanzi, J., & Wagner, T. (2014). Variability in aerobic methane oxidation over the past 1.2 Myrs recorded in microbial biomarker signatures from Congo fan sediments. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 133, 387-401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2014.02.035