How does life leave chemical traces in the rock record?
Life leaves chemical traces in rocks. We figure out how those traces are produced and what information they carry.
Learn more → Investigating the evolution
of life and Earth
We study how life and Earth have changed together over four billion years, using molecular fossils, stable isotopes, remote sensing, computation, AI, and fieldwork.
“The philosophical study of nature endeavors, in the vicissitudes of phenomena, to connect the present with the past.”
Research
Questions we're asking
Why do genetically identical cells behave differently?
Genetically identical bacteria don't all do the same thing. We use SIMS to measure metabolism one cell at a time and find out why.
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How does geography shape the signals locked in ancient molecules?
Proxy calibrations can be fooled by geography. We build Bayesian spatial models that separate real environmental signals from spatial confounding.
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Can AI decode Earth's history from petroleum?
Every oil sample is a molecular fossil record. We are training artificial intelligence on large petroleum geochemistry databases to find patterns that traditional biomarker ratios miss.
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What can drones and satellites reveal about ecosystems?
Most ecological measurements flatten 3D ecosystems into 2D maps. We use lidar and drones to capture the full spatial structure of forests, outcrops, and landscapes.
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What is the information content of a fossilized molecule?
Many different organisms can produce the same molecule. We use information theory and biosynthetic network analysis to quantify how much a molecular fossil can actually tell you about its source.
Learn more →Publications
Recent work
Biogeochemistry of sulfur
Bradley, A. S.
In: The role of sulfur in planetary processes: From cores to atmospheres (2026)
Refining classification of complex agroforestry mosaic landscape from drone-based imagery: Implications for landscape management and conservation
Paige, L.; Hedger, K.; Adinda, E.; Sulistyawati, E.; Bradley, A.; Winston, B.; DeMatteo, K.; Nekaris, K. A. I.; Wroblewski, E.
Journal of Applied Ecology (2026)
Energy flux couples sulfur isotope fractionation to proteomic and metabolite profiles in Desulfovibrio vulgaris
Leavitt, W. D.; Waldbauer, J.; Venceslau, S.; Sim, M. S.; Zhang, L.; Jaquelina, B. F.; Plummer, S.; Diaz, J. M.; Pereira, I. A. C.; Bradley, A. S.
Geobiology (2024)
Opportunities
Join the Bradley Lab
We're looking for people interested in biogeochemistry, geobiology, and geospatial science. Graduate students, postdocs, and undergrads are all welcome to get in touch.
Learn about opportunities