CPG
Tel: + 966 (013) 860-5332

Location: Bldg. 76, Rm. 2217

Dr. Nikolai Pedenchuk

Associate Professor, Department of Geosciences

Dr. Nikolai Pedentchouk is an organic geoscientist with expertise in molecular and stable isotope organic geochemistry, with a primary focus on petroleum systems. His research integrates biomarker and isotopic methodologies to address fundamental and applied questions in hydrocarbon exploration, oil-source correlation, biodegradation processes, and paleoenvironmental reconstruction. Dr. Pedentchouk holds a PhD in Geosciences from Pennsylvania State University (USA) and has extensive international research experience spanning academic and applied geosciences settings.

At KFUPM, Dr. Pedentchouk contributes to advancing petroleum geochemistry through research and teaching. He serves as Associate Editor for Organic Geochemistry and Frontiers in Geochemistry and is a frequent reviewer for leading journals including Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Organic Geochemistry, Applied Geochemistry, and Science of the Total Environment. His publication record includes over 40 peer-reviewed articles, and his work is widely cited in the fields of organic geochemistry and isotopic analysis. He is actively involved in graduate supervision, international collaborations, and the development of novel geochemical proxies for subsurface and surface processes relevant to the energy sector

Educational Qualification

  • Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education Practice, University of East Anglia, UK, 2013
  • Ph.D., Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, USA, 2004
  • M.S., Geology, Auburn University, USA, 1996
  • B.S., Geology, Moscow State University, Russia, 1991

Research Interests

  • The use of biomarkers and their stable isotope composition in petroleum exploration
  • Investigation of carbon cycling in the terrestrial biosphere
  • Research on carbon cycling in the Arctic
  • Development of biomarker proxies for ice extent and thickness in the Arctic and Antarctica
  • Identification and source apportionment of organic pollutants in the environment
  • The use of stable isotopes (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen) in plant ecophysiology

Selected Publications

  • Watts, H.D., Kubicki, J.D., Pedentchouk, N., Freeman, K.H. (2024) Position-specific 2H/H equilibrium isotopic fractionation factors in alkane, alkene, and aromatic molecules: A density functional theory approach. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 8, 21-35, org/10.1021/acsearthspacechem.3c00072
  • Pedentchouk, N., Bennett, B, Larter, S. (2021) d13C and dD values of n-alkanes from in-reservoir biodegraded oils: Implications for understanding the mechanisms of biodegradation and for petroleum exploration. Geosciences 11, doi.org/10.3390/geosciences11090365
  • Zheng, Y., Lin, H., Wang, X., Li, M., Liu, Y., Yu, M., Zhao, M., Xin, Y., Yu, M., Pedentchouk, N., Lea-Smith, D.J., Todd, J.D., Zhang, W.-J., Zong, H., Yao, P., Zhang, C., Tian, J., Zhang, X.-H. (2019) Proliferation of hydrocarbon degrading microbes at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Microbiome, org/10.1186/s40168-019-0652-3
  • Pedentchouk, N. and Zhou, Y. (2018) Factors controlling carbon and hydrogen isotope fractionation during biosynthesis of lipids by phototrophic organisms. In: Wilkes, H. (ed) Handbook of Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology Series. Hydrocarbons, Oils and Lipids: Diversity, Origin, Chemistry and Fate. Springer Publishing.
  • Pedentchouk, N. and Turich, C. (2018) Carbon and hydrogen isotopic compositions of n­-alkanes as a tool in petroleum exploration. In: Lawson, M., Formolo, M.J. & Eiler, J.M. (eds) From Source to Seep: Geochemical Applications in Hydrocarbon Systems. Geological Society, London, Special Publications 468, 105-125.
  • Pedentchouk, N., Sumner, W., Tipple, B., and Pagani, M. (2008) δ13C and δD compositions of n­-alkanes from modern angiosperm and conifers: An experimental set-up in central Washington State, USA. Organic Geochemistry 39, 1066.
  • Sluijs, A., Schouten, S., Pagani, M., Woltering, M., Brinkhuis, H., Sinninghe Damsté, J. S., Dickens, G. R., Huber, M., Reichart, G.-J., Stein, R., Matthiessen, J., Lourens, L. J., Pedentchouk, N., Backman, J., Moran, K. and the Expedition 302 Scientists (2006) Subtropical Arctic Ocean temperatures during the Palaeocene-Eocene thermal maximum. Nature 441, 610.
  • Pagani, M., Pedentchouk, N., Huber, M., Sluijs, A., Schouten, S., Brinkhuis, H., Sinninghe Damsté, J. S., Dickens, R., and the IODP Expedition 302 Expedition Scientists (2006) Arctic’s hydrology during global warming at the Palaeocene-Eocene thermal maximum. Nature 442, 671.
  • Pedentchouk, N., Freeman, K.H., and Harris, N.B. (2006) Different response of δD values of n-alkanes, isoprenoids and kerogen during thermal maturation. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 70, 2063.

Awards & Honors

  • Outstanding Reviewer Status awarded by Organic Geochemistry journal, April 2014
  • Research Funding from Leverhulme Trust, UK (2019); Swedish Research Council, Sweden (2017); DEFRA, UK (2015); Earth and Life Systems Alliance, UK (2010-2013); British Geological Survey, UK (2013); LAPBIAT grant, EU (2009); The Royal Society UK International Joint Project, UK (2009); RCUK Fellowship (2007).
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