Matt Kilburn

GEOS5507 - Unit Coordinator

Prof Kilburn is an expert in Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS), and is head of UWA’s Ion Probe Facility. The facility houses a CAMECA IMS1280 large-geometry ion probe, for the in-situ measurement of isotopes in minerals, and two CAMECA NanoSIMS instruments for imaging mass spectrometry. Prof Kilburn’s research focuses on the application of SIMS to a range of disciplines, from geochemistry to biomedical research.
The NanoSIMS instruments are imaging mass spectrometers, providing elemental and isotopic maps of samples with ultra-high spatial resolution (50-100nm) and high sensitivity. They are routinely used in stable isotopes probing (SIP) experiments, in which a rare stable isotope (eg, 13C, 15N) is added to an experimental system to visualise biological processes or chemical reactions at interfaces (eg diffusion).
The IMS1280 is a state-of-the-art ion probe for the measurement of high-precision isotope ratios in minerals and materials. In particular, oxygen isotopes in zircons and other refractory minerals, and sulphur isotopes in sulphide minerals.
Prof Kilburn also undertakes U isotopic analyses of environmental samples for nuclear safeguards. The IMS1280 laboratory is part of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Network of Analytical Laboratories.