Brendan Van Dyck

Dr. Brendan Van Dyck is an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus. He received his PhD from the University of Oxford in 2016 and subsequently held an 1851 Research Fellowship at the University of Cambridge (2016–2017). He was appointed Assistant Professor at Simon Fraser University in 2017, where he served until 2020, before joining the University of British Columbia in 2021. 

His research focuses on the chemical and physical processes operating within metamorphic and plutonic crust. By combining elements of materials science, petrology, and solid-state chemistry, Dr. Van Dyck strives to develop new approaches for interpreting the rock record.  His group studies topics ranging from reaction kinetics and stress-distribution during regional tectonics to the bioavailability and geochemical cycling of life-essential elements. Their approach integrates thermodynamics, field observations, and analyses of mineral microstructure and crystallography to examine how crustal processes evolve over geological timescales. Dr. Van Dyck and his group employ a range of analytical techniques —including scanning electron microscopy with electron backscatter diffraction (SEM-EBSD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), micro-X-ray fluorescence (microXRF), and cathodoluminescence (CL)—alongside petrological and chemical modelling to gain new insights into petrological processes.