Dan Burt

Postdoctoral Researcher · daniel.burt@vliz.be

I am an ocean biogeochemist specialising in the carbon and nitrogen cycles, their variability and interactions with climate. I am currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Past, Present and Future Marine Climate Change Group of Dr Peter Landschützer at the Flanders Marine Institute in Oostende, Belgium. This follows a short postdoctoral researcher position with the Ocean Biogeochemistry group of Prof. Dr Tatiana Ilyina of the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg, Germany after completing my Doctorate of Natural Sciences with the International Max Planck Research School for Earth System Modelling.

In my current postdoctoral position, I am working towards the reconstruction of ocean heat and carbon fluxes and transport in the Southern Ocean from existing sparse and unevenly distributed in-situ observations and satellite-based data products as part of the European AI4PEX project. My recent doctoral studies focused on the latest Permian climate-state in advance of the End-Permian Mass Extinction as part of the German Research Foundation research group: TERSANE II.

My approach to research is driven by a deep curiosity about the natural world and a commitment to advancing our understanding of critical biogeochemical processes. I believe in the power of interdisciplinary collaboration and the integration of diverse methodologies to tackle complex scientific questions. My mission is to advance research into carbon and nitrogen cycling and their roles in the Earth system by leveraging a combination of observations, modelling, and machine learning-based approaches.


Experience

Postdoctoral Researcher

Reconstructing the fluxes and transport of heat and carbon in the Southern Ocean from existing sparse and unevenly distributed in-situ observations and satellite-based data products as part of the European AI4PEX project.

November 2024 - Present

Postdoctoral Researcher

Continuing the research and publication of work relating to my doctoral studies and supporting the continued development of the novel nitrogen cycle extension in the Hamburg Ocean Carbon Cycle model.

June 2024 - September 2024

Education

University of Hamburg

Doctorate of Natural Science

International Max Planck Research School on Earth System Modelling
Thesis Title: Unravelling the climate conditions preceding the End-Permian Mass Extinction: Insights from latest Permian interannual tropical variability and extreme events
Supervisors: Tatiana Ilyina, Michael M. Joachimski, Thomas Kleinen
Funding: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft - Forschungsgruppe 2332: Temperature related stresses as a unifying principle in ancient extinctions II

January 2020 - June 2024
Masters of Science
Integrated Climate System Science

School of Integrated Climate System Science
By dissertation and passed with distinction
Thesis Title: The sensitivity of the marine carbon cycle to regional artificial ocean alkalinisation
Supervisors: Tatiana Ilyina, Jens Hartmann

January 2020 - June 2024

University of the Highlands and Islands

Bachelors of Science with Honours
Marine Science

Scottish Association for Marine Science
By dissertation and graduated First Class
Participated in ERASMUS exchange to the University Centre in Svalbard
Thesis Title: Defining total oxygen consumption in regions of restricted exchange: A case study of a Scottish fjord
Supervisors: Natalie Hicks, Tim Brand

September 2013 - July 2017

Skills

  • Familiar with marine and sediment carbon and nitrogen cycling under low-oxygen conditions
    Familiar with ocean-based Negative Emission Technologies (alkalinity enhancement, blue carbon) and their impact on the marine CO2 system
    Experienced with the MPI-ESM and HAMOCC models
    Experienced with data analysis and visualisation of large datasets in Python
    Experienced with development of analysis and visualisation tools for the evaluation of MPI-ESM and HAMOCC data

  • Proficient in Bash, Fortran and Python coding environments, with training in R and MATLAB
    Field training in the collection of CTD and ADCP measurements and water and sediment samples
    Laboratory training for non-/invasive analyses including FIA and HPLC
    Use of LaTeX for manuscripts, reports, posters and presentations

Conferences

ESM2025 2nd General Assembly

Grenoble, France
Poster: Towards a better resolved marine nitrogen cycle in the Hamburg Ocean Carbon Cycle model
Authors: Daniel Burt

May 2023
European Geophysical Union General Assembly 2023

Vienna, Austria
Talk: Dynamics and variability of the latest Permian climate-state in an Earth System Model
Authors: Daniel Burt, Tatiana Ilyina

April 2023
14th International Conference on Paleoceanography

Bergen, Norway
Poster: Latest Permian climate-state and variability in an Earth System Model
Authors: Daniel Burt, Tatiana Ilyina

August 2022
European Geophysical Union General Assembly 2022

Vienna, Austria
Talk: Dynamics and variability of the late Permian climate-carbon state in an Earth System Model
Authors: Daniel Burt, Tatiana Ilyina, Thomas Kleinen

May 2022
Goldschmidt 2021

Lyon, France (virtual)
Talk: Drivers of Permian-Triassic anoxia in the context of an Earth System Model
Authors: Daniel Burt, Tatiana Ilyina, Michael M. Joachimski

July 2021
TERSANE Project Kick-Off Meeting

Berlin, Germany
Talk: Reconstructing the ocean carbon and nutrient cycles and their interactions with climate during the Permian-Triassic Transition
Authors: Daniel Burt, Tatiana Ilyina

February 2020

Awards

  • Scottish Association for Marine Science Council Prize for Academic Excellence 2013

Publications

Burt, D.J., Fröb, F. and Ilyina, T. (2021) The sensitivity of the marine carbonate system to regional ocean alkalinity enhancement. Frontiers in Climate, 3 (624075), 10.3389/fclim.2021.624075

Day, J.G., Burt, D.J., Achilles-Day, U.E.M. and Stanley, M.S. (2015) Future algal biofuels: implications of environmental temperature on production strain selection. International Journal of Ambient Energy, 36 (5), pp. 248-252, 10.1080/01430750.2013.864584


Interests

Under construction.