Meet Our Researchers

Our faculty are world-renowned experts in earth and environmental sciences. Learn about their research interests, recent publications, and contributions to understanding our planet's complex systems.

Faculty Directory

Suzanne Affinati

Expert in metamorphic petrology and tectonics research with significant contributions to understanding Jurassic retroarc processes in the North American Cordillera.

R. Scott Anderson

Renowned paleoecologist with over 8,300 citations and extensive research on paleoclimate records from the southwestern United States and international sites.

Clare Aslan

Leading expert in solutions-oriented conservation research, mutualism disruption, and social-ecological resilience.

Rebecca Best

Leading expert in aquatic biodiversity and conservation, climate effects on connectivity, and riparian tree ecology.

John Fegyveresi

Expert in ice core and polar ice sheet analysis, paleoclimate reconstruction, and polar environmental conditions.

James Gaherty

Leading expert in seismological investigations of crust and mantle dynamics, continental rifting, and lithospheric plate evolution.

Debbie Huntzinger

Leading expert in carbon cycle science, terrestrial biospheric modeling, and greenhouse gas management.

Darrell Kaufman

Leading expert in paleoclimatology using lake sediments, geochronology, and proxy climate syntheses to study Earth’s response to natural and human-driven forcings.

Nicholas McKay

Expert in paleoclimate data analysis, climate informatics, and the development of tools for analyzing large paleoclimate datasets.

Erik Nielsen

Leader in sustainability initiatives, environmental policy, and community-based conservation with extensive international experience.

Denielle Perry

Expert in water resource geography, Colorado River Basin management, free-flowing river conservation, and political ecology of water governance.

Ryan Porter

Expert in lithospheric structure analysis, subduction zone processes, monogenetic volcanism, and geomorphic processes with focus on the North and South American Cordillera.

Pranay Ranjan

Expert in institutional analysis, environmental policy, conservation behavior, and action research with focus on sustainable agriculture and water systems.

Christine Regalla

Field geologist investigating fault processes, crustal deformation, and landscape responses to tectonic activity using multidisciplinary approaches.

Helen Rowe

Expert in arid environment ecology, invasive grass management, long-term ecological monitoring, and desert plant conservation with over 20 years of field experience.

Donna Shillington

Expert in marine and continental geophysics, active-source seismology, and plate boundary deformation with extensive oceanographic research experience.

Michael Smith

Expert in sedimentary geology, geochronology, and provenance with a focus on Eocene greenhouse climates and modern submarine canyon geomorphology.

Bridget Smith-Konter

Expert in fault system modeling, earthquake mechanics, and computational geophysics with extensive research on the San Andreas Fault System and planetary tectonics.

Sara Souther

Expert in conservation ecology, collaborative resource management, and demographic modeling with focus on endangered plant species in southwestern ecosystems.

Abraham Springer

Expert in springs ecosystems, groundwater-surface water interactions, and the role of springs as climate refugia for biodiversity conservation.

Diana Stuart

Environmental sociologist investigating drivers of environmental problems, climate solutions, degrowth alternatives, and pathways for positive social change.

Casey Tierney

Expert in volcanic and magmatic systems, continental crust development, and integration of volcanology, mineralogy, and geochemistry.

Research Excellence

Our faculty collectively have published thousands of peer-reviewed articles and have been recognized with numerous awards and honors. They lead major research initiatives funded by NSF, NASA, NOAA, and other prestigious agencies.

Areas of Expertise

Paleoclimatology & Climate Dynamics - Reconstructing past climates to understand future changes
Structural Geology & Tectonics - Studying Earth’s deformation and mountain building processes
Environmental Geochemistry - Understanding chemical processes in natural systems
Hydrology & Water Resources - Studying water cycles and sustainable water management
Ecology & Conservation Biology - Protecting biodiversity and ecosystem services
Remote Sensing & GIS - Using technology to monitor environmental changes
Environmental Policy & Sustainability - Developing solutions for environmental challenges