Earth Sciences Division Staff: Nicolas Spycher
Nicolas Spycher
Staff Geological Scientist
Geochemistry Department
Phone: 510-495-2388
Fax: 510-486-7714
Email: nspycher@lbl.gov
Additional Information
Biographical Summary
Nic Spycher has over twenty years of applied research experience in aqueous geochemistry and water/rock/gas interactions, including the development and application of multicomponent geochemical and reactive transport models. His current research activities focus on developing biogeochemical conceptual and numerical models to understand water/gas/rock/sediment interactions in various types of subsurface environments.Education
- BA Geological Sciences, 1979, University of Geneva, Switzerland
- MS Geological Sciences (Geophysics), 1980, University of Geneva, Switzerland
- Ph.D. Geological Sciences (Geochemistry), 1987, University of Oregon
Professional Experience
- 1998-present Staff Geological Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- 1993-1997 Geochemist/Hydrogeologist, DBA AquaLogic (private consultant)
- 1988-1998 Senior Project Scientist, International Technology Corporation, Irvine, CA
- 1987-1988 Post-Doctoral Research Associate (Geochemistry), University of Oregon
- 1981-1987 Research Assistant (Geochemistry), University of Oregon
Research Interests
Nic’s research activities cover water/rock interactions in geothermal systems, the impact of CO2 geological sequestration on groundwater quality, U(VI) transport and reactive chemistry at contaminated DOE sites, metal cycling in contaminated lake sediments, and the study of coupled thermal, hydrological, and chemical processes related to nuclear waste geologic storage. He has also been working on the development of chemical geothermometry software (GeoT), gas solubility correlations for carbon dioxide sequestration and geothermal studies, and has developed and compiled thermodynamic data for use with geochemical models, including the aqueous speciation and surface complexation of various metals. He is part of the TOUGHREACT reactive transport simulator development team and has significantly contributed to the development of the CHILLER/SOLVEQ geochemical modeling codes. Besides his academic background, Nic has extensive experience in the field of environmental hydrogeology and hydrogeochemistry, including ten years of private-sector consulting experience dedicated to the remedial investigation of contaminated sites. His investigations included predicting the fate of metals, spilled fuels, and solvents in the subsurface using various field measurements and modeling techniques.