Dr. Ashley M. Burkett
Primary Research Topics
MicroCT imaging- My interests in MicroCT technology revolve around my expertise as a micropaleontologist. I’m interested in using MicroCT scanning in my work on modern analogs to develop a paleooxygen proxy to better interpret, and ideally even quantify, oxygen availability in the oceans of the Earth’s past. I am also interested in using MicroCT scanning technology to better understand several unknown mechanisms of foraminifera lifespan, mobility, and reproduction. Finally, I am very excited about the prospects of microfossil reconstructions when applied to machine learning. Some of our 3D models can be found on sketchfab.com/OSUDr.B
Low oxygen and high organic environments- I am interested in the development of proxies to determine oxygen availability and assess the quality and extent of organic carbon in past marine environments. I am interested in looking at microfossil records in low oxygen/high organic carbon environments to assess ecologic and morphologic shifts (visible via SEM and MicroCT) indicative of changes in oxygen/carbon and coupling these records with sediment and biogeochemistry to explore, generate and refine geochemical and foraminiferal morphologic methods for quantifying oxygen/organic carbon availability.
Microfossil biogeochemistry- Marine microfossils can serve as a geochemical archive of the environments in which they formed their skeletal structures. I am interested in using precise analytical equipment such as Laser Ablation and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry to assess biogeochemical records (d18O, d 13C and a variety of trace elements). In addition to low oxygen environments, I am also especially interested in using these approaches to assess the origin, location, and timing of methane seepage.
Biostratigraphy and Basin Analysis- Microfossils are an excellent biostratigraphic tool that and can also provide valuable information about environmental conditions (e.g., water depth, temperature, etc.) during deposition. As a shipboard scientist for IODP Expedition 392 (Agulhas Plateau), my lab is currently analyzing high-resolution records of the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K/Pg) boundary and the PETM to understand biotic responses to rapid climatic and environmental shifts,,. This work involves assessing extinction and recovery patterns, species ecology, and identifying stratigraphic markers in deep-sea sediments.
Microfossil Taxonomy and Morphology- Accurate paleoceanographic reconstruction relies on robust taxonomy. I lead the bforams@mikrotax initiative, a global online database for deep-sea benthic foraminiferal taxonomy. My lab also pioneers the use of MicroCT technology to visualize hidden morphological features, assess calcite preservation, and study ontogeny,. This non-destructive imaging allows us to evaluate test density and preservation quality in critical intervals like the PETM and K/Pg boundaries
Leadership Roles
- Lead, bforams@mikrotax database initiative.
- Advisory Board Member, Deep Submergence Science Committee (DESSC)
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Involvement at OSU
OSU Arts and Sciences Faculty Spotlight article!
Avid fan of the Faculy Reads Education and Diversity series!
Publications *Graduate and **Undergraduate Mentees
Burkett A.M., **Anadu J., Holzmann M., Pawlowski J., Pratt R.B., Rathburn A.E. (2025) Adhaerentella dendrocoronam gen. and sp nov: an Attached Monothalamid Foraminifera from the Abyssal Pacific. Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jeu.70045
Burkett, A.M. Life on Plastics: Deep-Sea Foraminiferal Colonization Patterns and Reproductive Morphology (2025). Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 13, 1597. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13081597
*Ford, T., Burkett, A.M., (2025). Mg/Ca heterogeneity in the benthic foraminifera Cibicidoides wuellerstorfi and Uvigerina peregrina. Marine Geology, 484,107534. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107534
Burkett, A.M., Willingham, J., Rathburn, A., Schmidt, S., De Deckker, P. (2025). The Ecology of Deep-sea Benthic Foraminifera on the southern and southeastern Australian Margin. Micropaleontology, 71(4), p307-334. https://doi.org/10.47894/mpal.71.4.01
Burkett, A. M., Huber, B.T., Young, J.R., Katz, M.E., Borrelli, C., Fung, M.K., de Mello, R.M., Kochhann, K.G., Dameron, S.N., Thomas, E., & Alegret, L. (2024). BFORAMS@ MIKROTAX: AN Online Database for Deep-Sea Benthic Foraminiferal Taxonomy. Journal of Foraminiferal Research, 54(4), 394-403.https://doi.org/10.61551/gsjfr.54.4.394
Burkett, A.M., Rathburn, A. E., Acevedo, A. G., Acevedo, C. G., & Ezpeleta, J. (2023). Foraminiferal population dynamics on elevated plastic substrates and in sediments at 4000 m in the Eastern Pacific. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 723, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14432
Lu, W., Rickaby, R.E., Hoogakker, B.A., Rathburn, A.E., Burkett, A.M., Dickson, A.J., Martínez-Méndez, G., Hillenbrand, C.D., Zhou, X., Thomas, E., & Lu, Z. (2020). I/Ca in epifaunal benthic foraminifera: A semi-quantitative proxy for bottom water oxygen in a multi-proxy compilation for glacial ocean deoxygenation. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 533, 116055. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2019.116055
Burkett, A.M., Rathburn, A., Pratt, R.B., & Holzmann, M. (2020). Insights into the ecology of epibenthic calcareous foraminifera from a colonization study at 4000 m (Station M) in the NE Pacific Ocean. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 173, 104709. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2019.104709 Rathburn, A.E., Willingham, J., Ziebis, W., Burkett, A.M., & Corliss, B.H. (2018). A New biological proxy for deep-sea paleo-oxygen: Pores of epifaunal benthic foraminifera. Nature: Scientific reports, 8(1), 9456. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-27793-4
Venturelli, R.A., Rathburn, A.E., Burkett, A.M., & Ziebis, W. (2018). Epifaunal foraminifera in an infaunal World: Insights into the influence of heterogeneity on the benthic ecology of oxygen-poor, deep-sea habitats. Frontiers in Marine Science, 5, 344. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2018.00344
Burkett, A.M., Rathburn, A.E., Pérez, M.E., & Martin, J.B. (2018). Influences of thermal and fluid characteristics of methane and hydrothermal seeps on the stable oxygen isotopes of living benthic foraminifera. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 93, 344-355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2018.02.037
Burkett, A.M., Rathburn, A.E., Pérez, M.E., Levin, L.A., & Martin, J.B. (2016). Colonization of over a thousand Cibicidoides wuellerstorfi (foraminifera: Schwager, 1866) on artificial substrates in seep and adjacent off-seep locations in dysoxic, deep-sea environments. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 117, 39-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2016.08.011
IODP Preliminary Reports and Proceedings
Uenzelmann-Neben, G., Bohaty, S.M., Childress, L.B., Archontikis, O.A., Batenburg, S.J., Bijl, P.K., Burkett, A.M., Cawthra, H.C., Chanda, P., Coenen, J.J., Dallanave, E., Davidson, P.C., Doiron, K.E., Geldmacher, J., Gürer, D., Haynes, S.J., Herrle, J.O., Ichiyama, Y., Jana, D., Jones, M.M., Kato, C., Kulhanek, D.K., Li, J., Liu, J., McManus, J., Minakov, A.N., Penman, D.E., Sprain, C.J., Tessin, A.C., Wagner, T., and Westerhold, T., (2022). Agulhas Plateau Cretaceous Climate. Proceedings of the International Ocean Discovery Program, 392: College Station, TX (International Ocean Discovery Program). https://doi.org/10.14379/iodp.proc.392.2023
Uenzelmann-Neben, G., Bohaty, S.M., Childress, L.B., Archontikis, O.A., Batenburg, S.J., Bijl, P.K., Burkett, A.M.,…, (2022). Expedition 392 Preliminary Report: Agulhas Plateau Cretaceous Climate. International Ocean Discovery Program. https://doi.org/10.14379/iodp.pr.392.2022
Harris, R.N., Sakaguchi, A., Petronotis, K., Baxter, A.T., Berg, R., Burkett, A., Charpentier, D., Choi, J., Diz Ferreiro, P., Hamahashi, M., Hashimoto, Y., Heydolph, K., Jovane, L., Kastner, M., Kurz, W., Kutterolf, S.O., Li, Y., Malinverno, A., Martin, K.M., Millan, C., Nascimento, D.B., Saito, S., Sandoval Gutierrez, M.I., Screaton, E.J., Smith-Duque, C.E., Solomon, E.A., Straub, S.M., Tanikawa, W., Torres, M.E., Uchimura, H., Vannucchi, P., Yamamoto, Y., Yan, Q., and Zhao, X.,, (2013). Proceedings of the International Ocean Discovery Program, 344: College Station, TX (Integrated Ocean Drilling Program). https://doi.org/10.2204/iodp.proc.344.2013
Harris, R.N., Sakaguchi, A., Petronotis, K., Baxter, A.T., Berg, R., Burkett, A.M., … (2013). Costa Rica Seismogenesis Project, Program A Stage 2 (CRISP-A2): sampling and quantifying lithologic inputs and fluid inputs and outputs of the seismogenic zone. Preliminary Report, 344. https://doi.org/10.2204/iodp.pr.344.2013
Teaching
I am a teacher who is passionate about having students participate in a variety of engaging and hands-on learning activities. I have taught Introductory Geology courses at three Universities and teach the following at OSU. In 2021 I recieved the College of Arts and Sciences Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award.
GEOL 1003: The Story of Dinosaurs (non-major, no-science pre-req Undergraduates) This course is targeted at fostering and facilitating critical thinking and scientific literacy through the exploration of Dinosaur research and interpretations.
GEOL 1224: Evolution of the Earth (for Undergraduate Students)
GEOL 3103 Paleontology (for Undergraduate Students)
GEOL 5183: Paleontology of Depositional Sequences (for Graduate Students)
Future Students
I am always interested in talking to students about potential research project. Please contact me directly to inquire about potential funding opportuinites.
If you are an OSU undergraduate interested in a research or capstone project come to see me in 303 of Noble Research Center as soon as you can. I am interested in having these students explore the dynamics of foraminiferal morphology, ecology, and phylogeny to develop key proxies essential to the interpretations of past oxygen availability.
If you are interested in joining the lab please contact Dr. Burkett directly at: ashley.burkett@okstate.edu and check out the deadlines for the OSU graduate college.