• B. App. Sc (Geoscience) with Distinction, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia (2001)
• B. App. Sc. (Honours First Class) (Geoscience), Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia (2002)
• Ph.D. Earth Science, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia (2006)

Abigail is a field geologist with an interest in Earth’s oldest sedimentary rocks and possible biosignatures (~3.4 to 3.5 billion yrs old) from the Pilbara Region of Western Australia. She is particularly interested in stromatolites (laminated sedimentary structures that are usually microbial in origin), carbonates and evaporites of all ages, including evaporite-hosted stromatolites. Abigail aims to understand and be able to recognize traces of primitive microbial life in extremely ancient rocks—an important step in tracing the origins of life on Earth and establishing guideposts in the search for traces of past life beyond Earth. Her work focuses on palaeoenvironmental interpretation and analysis of possible microbial biosignatures through integration of field relationships, morphology and assemblage characteristics of stromatolites, sedimentary fabrics, mineral paragenesis and geochemistry.

• JPL Outstanding Postdoc Award, (2008)

1. Allwood, A.C., 2008. Deep time paleobiology: stromatolites–a key to decoding primitive ecosystems on Earth and beyond. The Paleontological Society Papers v. 14, p. 55-66.
2. Allwood, A.C., Walter, M.R., Burch, I.W., 2007, Stratigraphy and Facies of the 3.43 Ga Strelley Pool Chert in the Southwest North Pole Dome. Western Australia Geological Survey Record. 2007/11.
3. Allwood, A.C., Walter, M.R., Burch, I.W., Kamber, B.S., 2007: 3.43 billion-year-old stromatolite reef from the Pilbara Craton of Western Australia: Ecosystem-scale insights to early life on Earth. Precambrian Research, v. 158, p. 198-227.
4. Sugitani, K., Grey, K., Allwood, A., Nagaoka, T., Mimura, K., Minami, M., Marshall, C.P., Van Kranendonk, M., Marshall, C., Walter, M., 2007: Diverse microstructures from c. 3.4 Ga Strelley Pool Chert, Kelly Group, Pilbara Craton, Western Australia: microfossils, dubiofossils or pseudofossils? Precambrian Research, v. 158 (3-4), p. 228-262
5. Marshall, C.P., Love, G.D., Snape, C.E., Hill, A.C., Allwood, A.C., Walter, M.R., Van Kranendonk, M.J., Summons, R.E., 2007, Characterization of carbonaceous materials in Archean cherts, Pilbara Craton, Western Australia. Precambrian Research, v. 155, p. 1-23.
6. Allwood, A.C., Walter, M.R., Kamber, B.S., Burch, I.W., 2006: Stromatolite reef from the Early Archaean era of Australia, Nature, v. 414, p 714-718.
7. Allwood, A.C., Walter, M.R., and Marshall, C.P., 2006: Raman spectroscopy reveals thermal palaeoenvironments of c.3.5 billion-year-old organic matter. Journal of Vibrational Spectroscopy, v. 41, p 190-197.
8. Allwood, A. and Brown, A., 2004: Seeking the oldest evidence of life on Earth, Microbiology Australia, v. 25 (1), p. 26-27.
9. Allwood, A.C., 2008: 3.43 billion yr-old stromatolites and new approaches to deep time paleobiology. Astrobiology v. 8 (2), p 293.
10. Allwood, A.C., Anderson, M.S., Burch, I.W., Coleman, M.L., 2008: Genesis of 3.43 billion year old conical stromatolites: geochemical imaging, spectroscopy and microfacies analysis in recrystallized reef margin accretionary structures. Astrobiology v. 8 (2), p 319.
11. Love, G.D, Marshall, C.P., Allwood, A. C., Snape, C.E., Walter, M.R., Van Kranendonk, M.J., Summons, R.E., 2006: Kerogen-bound aromatic hydrocarbons as potential molecular biosiognatures for overmature organic matter in 3.43 Ga Strelley Pool Chert from Pilbara Craton, Western Australia. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 39 (6), p. 448
12. Allwood, A.C., Walter, M.R., Burch, I.W., 2006, Early Archaean Stromatolites: suggestions of life’s firm foothold 3.43 billion years ago. Abstracts from the 2nd International Palaeontological Congress, Beijing, June 2006
13. Allwood, A.C., Walter, M.R., Van Kranendonk, M.J., Kamber, B.S., 2005: Life on a transgressive rocky shoreline and carbonate platform: 3.43 Ga Strelley Pool Chert, Pilbara Craton, Western Australia. European Geophysical Union Annual General Meeting abstract
14. Allwood, A.C., Walter, M.R., Van Kranendonk, M.J., 2005: Stromatolite facies of the 3.43 Ga Strelley Pool Chert: Pilbara Craton, Western Australia. NAI 2005: Biennial Meeting of the NASA Astrobiology Institute, April 10-14, University of Colorado, Boulder: Downloadable abstracts - URL: http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/nai2005/abstracts.cfm
15. Allwood, A.C., Walter, M.R., Van Kranendonk, M.J., Kamber, B.S., 2005: 3.43 Ga Stromatolites, Rocky Shorelines and a Carbonate Platform: Strelley Pool Chert, Pilbara Craton, Western Australia. NAI 2005: Biennial Meeting of the NASA Astrobiology Institute, April 10-14, University of Colorado, Boulder: Downloadable abstracts - URL: http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/nai2005/abstracts.cfm