I identify as an igneous and metamorphic petrologist, and an isotope geochemist. Most of my research relates to mass transfer and processing in subduction zones. I am interested in all aspects of subduction - from sediment ingestion into the trench, to the metamorphic reactions (especially dehydration reactions) that take place in the downgoing slab, to mantle metasomatism and melting, to the magmatic and volcanic processes taking place at all depths in the arc crust. Beyond subduction-related processes, I am also interested in large mafic igneous provinces including Iceland and the Bushveld / Rustenburg Layered Suite. Recently, I have been dabbling in critical element resources in Pennsylvania including lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements.

Current Research / Funded Projects:
E-FIRE (ExTerra Field Institutes and Research Endeavor) Partnership for International Research and Education. The E-FIRE project, now nearing completion, funded 11 PhD students and postdoctoral scholars at US institutions to conduct field work in the Western Alps and Voltri Massif (France and Italy) in collaboration with European partners. The scientific themes of this project included fluid transfer, reaction timescales, and rheological properties of materials at the slab interface and mantle regions of a fossil subduction zone.

• Boron loss and isotopic fractionation as a tracer of fluid loss during sediment subduction and dehydration in Southwest Japan. In collaboration with colleagues at UT Austin and Tohoku University, we are investigating the progressive metamorphism of sediments from deposition at the seafloor to breakdown at sub-arc depths using samples from the Nankai Trough, Shimanto Shale, and Sanbagawa Schist units. We are also looking at the timing of peak metamorphism and exhumation rates for the Sanbagawa Schist.
• GeoPEERS (Geosciences Program in Energy and Environmental Resource Sustainability) Research Experience for Undergraduates. This program aims to prepare the next generation geoscience workforce by providing participants with the skills to approach natural resource exploration and development, environmental science, environmental justice, climate change, and sustainable development as one integrated system.
• Dean’s Fund Postdoc “Decolonizing the 40th Parallel”. The goal of this project is to make Geosciences Field Camp more inclusive and introspective by developing a co-curriculum around exploration and exploitation, Westward Expansion, extractive scientific practices, and the cultural, historical, and scientific importance of mapping.

I study sedimentary rocks and volcanic deposits to learn about continental rifting process, and the timing and geologic setting of early human evolution. Broadly, my current and ongoing research can be split into three themes: the geologic context for early human evolution; extensional faulting and basin development; and magmatic evolution of explosive volcanism in rift zones. This work is focused in eastern Africa and it is highly collaborative. I working closely with paleontologists and archaeologists among others.

• Geochemical correlations of tephra deposits in Afar, Ethiopia for human origins studies. This project also involves stratigraphic analysis to interpret depositional environments and structural geology looking at rift development.
• Dating, geochemistry, and stratigraphy of ~5-6-million-year-old paleontological sites near Narok, Kenya.
• Geomorphology of the lower Awash, Afar Ethiopia using cosmogenic radionuclides.
• Building an explosive volcanic geochemical database for eastern Africa (EARThD) in collaboration with NSF/IEDA.