Education:

Appointments:

Research Interests:

My research examines sedimentary rocks and sediments as records of environmental change and as vessels that contain and react with fluids. I use sedimentary and stratigraphic analysis, mapping, geochemical properties, and relative and absolute dating to investigate how climate, tectonics, volcanism, ocean processes and sea level influence sedimentary basins. Part of my research involves collaborations with paleontologists to determine the age and distribution of fossils in these basins, their paleoecological context and evolutionary history. The processes that control deposition also determine the mechanical behavior of sedimentary layers and the flow and reaction of fluids within their pore spaces. I work to characterize these heterogeneous physical properties in the field and in the subsurface, and I use simple models of these systems in numerical and laboratory experiments to constrain processes of reaction and transport critical to a broad range of environmental problems.

Teaching:

I teach general education courses in SAGES (Seminar Approach to General Education and Scholarship) and upper level undergraduate/graduate courses in Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences (EEPS), most of which are required for the geology and environmental geology majors but draw students from other disciplines. I also advise students ranging from first year students, just arriving on campus, to senior undergraduate and graduate students.

Graduate and Undergraduate Research Opportunities:

I am always looking for curious and capable students (undergraduate and graduate) with backgrounds and interests in science, math or engineering to join my research program. Please contact me to discuss current opportunities.

 

More Information:

For more information, see my Research and additional links on the top navigation bar.