Dr Nalan Lom is a geologist with a background in geophysics whose research focuses on the large-scale evolution of orogenic systems and the plate-kinematic reconstruction of ancient tectonic domains. Her work integrates palaeomagnetism, stratigraphy, mantle tomography, and field geology to understand the deformation and dynamics of convergent margins from Precambrian to Cenozoic.

Dr Lom earned her PhD in Solid Earth Sciences (2017) from the Eurasia Institute of Earth Sciences, Istanbul Technical University (ITU). During her doctoral studies, she received a research scholarship at the Centre for Earth Evolution and Dynamics (CEED), University of Oslo, Norway, and later continued as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at ITU (2017–2019).

Dr Lom worked at Utrecht University (2019-2023) in the Netherlands as part of the EU-funded TRIGGER project (Tracing the Regional Initiator of the Great Global Eocene Plate Reorganization), where she investigated the palaeogeography of the Tethys region and the tectonic evolution of orogenic belts. She also contributed to teaching and co-supervised MSc students.

Before joining the UCA, Dr Lom held a researcher and lecturer position at Heidelberg University in Germany (2024–2025), where she coordinated courses on geodynamics and structural geology.

Her recent research examines the plate-kinematic evolution of Iran and Afghanistan and the mantle provinces of the Tethyan realm, advancing understanding of continental collision and lithospheric deformation. She has collaborated with international research groups across Europe, Asia, and North America, combining field observation with quantitative kinematic modelling.

Dr Lom has contributed to the international geoscientific community through multiple book chapters and peer-reviewed publications in leading journals.