REIMER Paula

Dr. Paula Reimer is Director of the ¹⁴CHRONO Centre for Climate the Environment and Chronology at Queen’s University Belfast.  Reimer is chair of the IntCal Working Group which is responsible for constructing and updating the international radiocarbon curves with an expected update in 2019. Together with her husband Ron she is responsible for the CALIB, CALIBomb and deltar software and the Marine Radiocarbon Reservoir database. Her research interests are primarily focused on carbon, in both modern and past environments, as a tracer of geochemical processes, as a key component in climate variability and as a chronological tool. Much of her work focuses on extending and refining the internationally ratified radiocarbon calibration curves which are used by geoscientists and archaeologists to correct radiocarbon ages for the variability of atmospheric or marine ¹⁴C in the past. She is also interested in both marine and freshwater radiocarbon reservoir offsets which effect radiocarbon ages and calibration of samples from these environments or from humans or animals with a marine dietary component. She is also interested in the use of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in past dietary studies as a way of understanding radiocarbon reservoir effects on the accuracy dating humans and animals subsisting on marine or freshwater resources.

As a member of the advisory board, Dr. Reimer will provide BAP researchers with external strategic guidance about both the academic and administrative aspects of running the project.

RESEARCH INTERESTS: Carbon analysis, Climate variability, Chronology, Radiocarbon reservoir effects