I am an Associate Professor in the Geosciences Research Division, Earth Section at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego.
My interests are petrology, high-temperature trace element & isotope geochemistry, and microstructural and tectonic techniques to investigate the Earth’s lithosphere.
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A major core of my research is focused on the petrology, geochemistry, and deformation history of the mantle. I use mantle xenoliths (fragments of mantle lithosphere brought up by volcanic eruptions) to directly probe mantle processes.
Many of my projects involve exploring the regional geology of California and the Western US. Since doing my PhD work on the deep roots of the Sierra Nevada Batholith, I’ve been intrigued ever since by the complex history of the Western US. Two major projects that are ongoing investigate how the Laramide Orogeny impacted the Archean Wyoming Craton and surrounding Proterozoic mobile belts.
