I study the ecological information contained in natural accumulations of bones (death assemblages). Through a multidisciplinary approach that brings together ecology, wildlife management, conservation biology, paleobiology, and GIS, my research explores the ecological data contained in bone accumulations from the modern, sub-fossil, and fossil realms. Using fieldwork, quantitative analyses, and statistical modeling, I am refining our understanding of the biological data that is contained in bone accumulations and providing new tools for recovering those data from recent, historical, and fossil accumulations.
Faculty, Staff, and Students
Tenure-Track Faculty
Thomas Algeo
Professor, Geology
504 Geology-Physics Building
Specialization in sedimentary geochemistry with applications to paleoceanographic and global systems analysis. Research is directed along three broad themes: Environmental change at the Permian/Triassic boundary, the relationship of land plant evolution to weathering rate changes and global events during the Middle to Late Devonian, and the development of trace-metal redox proxies to study paleomarine systems.
Carlton E. Brett
Professor, Geology
510 Geology-Physics Building
Dr. Brett's research focuses on relating regional and global changes in sea level, climate, and the carbon cycle to episodes of biotic change (bioevents) and extinction, and time-specific sedimentary facies. Projects involve establishing regional and global patterns of Paleozoic sequence stratigraphy and relating them to prolonged intervals of relative biotic stability, or "coordinated stasis", and episodes of abrupt change. He also maintains active research in taphonomy, including comparative fossil preservation and modern experimental approaches designed to test the concept of taphofacies, pursuing studies of ancient organism interactions including organism-substrate relationships and the mid Paleozoic predator revolution, and the paleobiology of marine invertebrates, especially echinoderms and arthropods.
Brooke E Crowley
Professor, Geology Graduate Director, Stable Isotope Ecology, Quaternary Paleoecology, Geology
503 Geology-Physics Building
I use stable isotope biogeochemistry to answer a variety of questions about modern and extinct vertebrate communities. My main research interests include extinction, environmental and ecological consequences of human impacts, habitat transformation and conservation. Please visit my personal website for more information (http://www.agoraphotia.com).
Andrew D. Czaja
Associate Professor, Precambrian Paleobiology, Astrobiology, and Geochemistry, Geology
506 Geology-Physics Building
Precambrian Paleobiology, Astrobiology, and Biogeochemistry: Early evolution of life on Earth; Archean fossil record of South Africa and Australia; geologic record of microbial metabolic evolution; Mesoproterozoic terrestrial microbial ecosystems; kerogen geochemistry; in situ morphological and geochemical analyses of Precambrian microfossils.
Aaron Diefendorf
Professor, Organic and Isotope Geochemistry, Geology
610 Geology-Physics Building
My research uses stable isotope and organic biogeochemical tools to solve critical questions in the areas of global climate change, carbon cycling, Earth’s climate sensitivity, paleoclimatology, and paleoecology.
Craig Dietsch
Associate Professor, Department Head, Geology, Geology
500D Geology-Physics Building
Dr. Dietsch’s research focuses on the evolution of mountain chains, crustal tectonics, petrology, and landscape evolution. His current fieldwork areas include the Himalaya of northern India, eastern Pyrenees, the Catalan Coastal Ranges of northeastern Spain, the Appalachians, western New England, and southern California. Current research topics include bedrock exhumation in relation to fluvial incision, geodynamics of migmatite domes, and how the generation of alluvial fans may record tectonic and climactic signals.
Attila I Kilinc
Professor of experimental and computational geochemistry, Geology
Experimental, theoretical and computational geochemistry at high temperatures and pressures; oxidation state of magmas, role of volatiles in magmatic processes, petrology and geochemistry of tholeiitic and alkaline basalts, physical geochemistry of explosive volcanism.
Tom V Lowell
Professor, Glacial and Quaternary Geology, Geology
604 Geology-Physics Building
Joshua H Miller
Asst Professor, Geology
509 Geology-Physics Building
Reza Soltanian
Associate Professor, Hydrogeology, Geology
508 Geology-Physics Building
Daniel Murray Sturmer
Assistant Professor, Geology
602 Geology-Physics Building
My research interests lie in using geological, geophysical, and petrophysical tools to understand basin formation, evolution, and resource potential. I am particularly interested in interactions between sedimentation and tectonic processes.
Amy Townsend-Small
Professor, Environmental Science, Geology
605 Geology-Physics Building
Service-driven researcher, teacher, and mentor in environmental science and policy. Together with my collaborators and students, I’ve published over 40 articles and raised over $2 million in research funding. My current research focuses on atmospheric methane emissions from the oil and gas supply chain and climate change feedbacks. I also work on community engaged research toward environmental justice and greenhouse gas emissions reductions together with my students.
Dylan Ward
Associate Professor, Undergraduate Director, Geomorphology and Numerical Modeling, Geology
502 Geology-Physics Building
Numerical modeling, field measurement, and geochronology to constrain rates and mechanics of fluvial and glacial geomorphic processes; Paleoclimate and atmospheric circulation as reflected in the landscape; Response of landscape processes to climate change and to exhumation of different rock types.
Yurena Yanes
Assistant Professor, Geology
520 Geology-Physics Building
My research program examines the response of biological communities to environmental and human stressors. The sustainability and integrity of ecological resources are increasingly uncertain as climate warms and Earth faces a biodiversity crisis. To remedy this situation, scientists must understand the magnitude, direction and rate of biotic responses to environmental and human impacts. However, environmental and anthropogenic factors operate simultaneously and therefore, they are difficult to discriminate using short-term ecological/human-lifespan scales. My work incorporates a longer-term (geological) dimension through three sequential intervals in the recent geologic past: (1) before humans, which I study with paleontological records, (2) during aboriginal (pre-industrial) occupation, by investigating archeological sources; and (3) in post-industrial times, by measuring modern and historical ecological records. The group of organisms I use to examine biotic-environment-human interactions belong to the Phylum Mollusca (primarily terrestrial gastropods) because they are plentiful, sensitive to environmental and human interference, and less investigated yet more threatened than other present-day major animal groups. To investigate molluscs, I integrate data and techniques from multiple disciplines including isotope geochemistry, taphonomy, paleoecology, Quaternary geochronology, archeology and the emerging field of conservation paleobiology.
Adjunct Faculty
Brenda R Hanke
Geology
Glenn W. Storrs
Adjunct Professor, Geology
Geology-Physics Building
Affiliate Faculty
Christopher L Atchison
Professor, Geoscience Education, Geology
600E Teachers College
Dr. Atchison specializes in Geoscience Education. His research involves creating full access to the Earth Science disciplines for students and scientists with physical, sensory, and developmental disabilities, and evaluation of the instructional strategies that promote inclusive communities of learning in field settings. He is the Founder of the International Association for Geoscience Diversity (www.TheIAGD.org), an organization charged with advocating for students and geoscientists with disabilities, while promoting an accessible pathway into the Geoscience workforce through the development of innovative and inclusive research opportunities and instructional strategies.
Kenneth Barnett Tankersley
Assoc Professor, Geology
456 Braunstein Hall
My current research focuses on Native American sociopolitical issues and human adaptation to catastrophic events.
Emeriti Faculty
Madeleine Briskin
Emeritus Professor, Geology
507 Geology-Physics Building
Warren D. Huff
Professor, Geology
614 Geology-Physics Building
Clay mineralogy, paleovolcanology, tephrochronology
J. Barry Maynard
Professor, Geology
Research career focused on the chemistry of metals at the Earth’s surface, with prinicpal focus in recent years on Mn, Fe, Cu and Pb. Systems studied include Mn-Fe ore bodies, constructed wetlands treating mine drainage, slope stability problems, and corrosion scales in drinking water systems. Supervised 9 PhD and 24 MS students.
Arnold I Miller
Professor Emeritus of Geology, Geology
609 Geology-Physics Building
An evolutionary paleobiologist and paleoecologist, with research and teaching interests in biodiversity throughout geological time and in the present day. Current projects include the investigation of geographic and environmental selectivity during global mass extinctions and major diversification events; assessment of anthropogenic impacts on shallow-water molluscan communities as recorded in skeletal accumulations; numerical modeling of time-averaged fossil assemblages; and assessments of the distributions of animals and plants along present and past environmental gradients.
Post-Doc Fellows/ Research Associates
Faranak Behzadi
Geology
Corey D Wallace
National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, Geology
Geology-Physics Building
National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow working at the University of Cincinnati. Research topics include groundwater flow, nutrient transport, and greenhouse gas emissions along rivers. PhD from the Ohio State University studying reactive nitrogen transport in tidal rivers.
Staff
Kate D. Cosgrove
Business Manager, Geology
500 Geology-Physics Building
I manage the day to day financial activities for the department. This includes, but is not limited to, grants –pre and post award, endowment budgeting and expenses, hiring of faculty, staff and students, external contracts and budget management.
Sarah J Hammer
Laboratory Manager, Geology
623B Geology-Physics Building
Krista Smilek
Academic Director, Geology, Geology
500 Geology-Physics Building
I serve as the program advisor for geology majors, minors, and graduate students as well as prospective students. I coordinate the undergraduate and graduate programs, maintain all things Catalyst-related for the department, and participate in geology-related community outreach. I also lead the Ocean Margins field trip (GEOL4023/6023) to San Salvador, Bahamas and teach Natural Hazards (GEOL1009) during summer term.
Graduate Students
Lilja Elyse Carden
Graduate Assistant, Geology
I am interested in using modern mollusk assemblages to understand how anthropogenic industrial pollutants have shaped species success and tolerance. I am hoping to better understand how bivalve species respond to both the presence of industrial pollution and after it has been remediated.
Jason M Cesta
Geology
My interests lie in process geomorphology, landscape evolution, geochronology, and paleomagnetism. I am specifically interested in the response of landscapes to climate shifts, and utilizing geomorphic landforms to interpret the climate history of a particular region. My current research focuses on the erosional efficiency of former glaciers in the arid Andes.
Megan Casey Corcoran
Graduate Assistant, Geology
I am PhD student working with Dr. Aaron Diefendorf. I use geochemical and isotopic proxies to reconstruct past hydroclimate and ecological changes in order to understand the causes of these changes and to better predict future climate. I am currently working on projects in the Adirondacks, Midwest and Falklands. I am also interested in promoting and administering STEM education to students of all ranges and leading outreach activities to engage the community in science.
Watts Lambert Dietrich
Graduate Assistant, Geology
I am a master's student interested in using geochemical proxies and stable isotopes to reconstruct past climate and improve our understanding of the Earth system. Before coming to UC, I worked as a chemist in the flavor industry and studied airborne disease transmission at the CDC. My current research is focused on determining how diagenesis affects a particular diatom biomarker in lake sediments and whether this biomarker can serve as a proxy for past hydrology.
Ian James Forsythe
Graduate Assistant, Geology
PhD student specializing in invertebrate paleontology. Research interests include paleoecology, invasion biology, astrochronology, paleoclimatology, stable isotope geochemistry, and stratigraphy. Recent projects include reconstructing the distribution of Ordovician macrofaunal invertebrates along environmental gradients, quantifying the ecological impacts of biotic invasions in deep time, and reconstructing past basin morphologies.
Andrew K Hensley
Graduate Assistant, Geology
I will be doing my masters research on recently extinct rodents from Hispaniola. Using isotope analysis of bone collagen and tooth enamel, I hope to help build a better picture of the recent ecosystem on the island and help clarify what led to the decline of these species. I am also very interested in the applications of isotope ecology on Eocene mammals, as well as the use of GIS technologies in paleontology and science communication.
Cody Martin Kessler
Graduate Assistant, Geology
PhD student with research interest in near surface geophysics
Samuel Augustus Little
Geology
I am a master's student researching with a focus on marine invertebrate paleontology in local Ordovician deposits. Currently interested in implications of organism encrustation and better defining species invasions.
Andrew Carlton Michel
Graduate Assistant, Geology
I began working on my masters at the University of Cincinnati in the Fall of 2019. The goal of my project is to produce a 7.5-minute bedrock map of the Stamford quadrangle in southwestern Connecticut, which will ultimately contribute to the compilation of a new Connecticut state bedrock map.
Hans Hubble Naake
Graduate Assistant, Geology
Masters Student researching diatom biomarkers.
Brianna Isabel Orrill
Graduate Assistant, Geology
I am interested in origins of life research and the study of the earliest life on Earth. I am curious about biosignature development and the application towards the search for life on other planets.
Elizabeth Ann Shade
Graduate Assistant, Geology
I hold a BA in psychology from the University of Cincinnati and Graduate Gemologist degree from the Gemological Institue of America. My current area of study is the science of synthetic gem material, specifically diamonds. My hope is to develop more advanced techniques to identify synthetic treated stones.
Clark Taylor Ward
Graduate Assistant, Geology
For my Master's project, I am investigating stable isotope paleoecology of large mammalian herbivores from the Nebraskan late Miocene site Ashfall Fossil Beds. I am interested in species-level and community-level paleoecology as well as extinct and extant herpetofauna.
Jonas Zajonz
Graduate Assistant, Geology
Currently, I am working on my PhD degree in paleontology. My projects are devoted to paleoecology and changes in biodiversity.