Rate My Professor Sophie Briggs

Dr. Sophie Briggs is a Lecturer in the Department of Geology, Division of Sciences, at the University of Otago. She earned her BSc with First Class Honours in Geology and a Diploma in Spanish Language from the University of Otago in 2011, followed by a PhD in Geological Sciences from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2017. Her doctoral dissertation examined the magmatic and metamorphic evolution of the Alpine Schist accretionary complex in the Southern Alps, New Zealand, under the supervision of John Cottle. Prior to her current position, Briggs served as a Graduate Student Researcher and Teaching Assistant at UCSB from 2012 to 2017, an Interpretation Ranger with the New Zealand Department of Conservation in 2018, an Exploration Geologist with Xserv Pty Ltd in Western Australia in 2012, and a Teaching Assistant and Tutor at the University of Otago from 2010 to 2011. She also worked as a tour guide with White Island Tours Ltd from 2009 to 2012.

Briggs' research specializes in petrology of igneous and metamorphic rocks, geochemistry, geochronology, and tectonics. She applies petrochronology methods, utilizing isotopic and trace element analysis of minerals like zircon, monazite, xenotime, and garnet via ICP-MS, to investigate the tectonic and geochemical evolution of Earth's crust, particularly New Zealand's Alpine Schist as a record of Zealandia-Gondwana separation. Key peer-reviewed publications include 'Record of plate boundary metamorphism during Gondwana breakup from Lu-Hf garnet geochronology of the Alpine Schist, New Zealand' (Journal of Metamorphic Geology, 2018, with J.M. Cottle and M.A. Smit) and 'Investigation of optically stimulated luminescence behavior of quartz from crystalline rock surfaces: A look forward' (Quaternary Geochronology, 2016, with L.M. Simkins et al.). She has contributed numerous conference abstracts on these topics and geoscience education. Briggs teaches courses such as EAOS 111 Earth and Ocean Science, GEOL 112 Dynamic Earth: A New Zealand Perspective, GEOL 252 Field Studies and New Zealand Geology, and GEOL 344 Advanced Field Studies. Her educational outreach extends to early childhood, primary, secondary, and continuing education, with active learning methods, field trip design, and participatory science projects. Awards include the Fulbright New Zealand Graduate Student Award (2012), Outstanding Student Paper Award at AGU Fall Meeting (2016), R.V. Fisher Scholarship in Volcanology (2015), and several University of Otago and UCSB scholarships and prizes.