Ethan Grossman (Stable isotope geochemistry; climate change). My research applies stable isotope geochemistry to understand environmental and paleoenvironmental change and its causes. Two current projects with funding opportunities for graduate students are (1) the Texas sedimentary record of the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM), a time of radically warm temperatures likely due to gas hydrate release, and (2) circulation changes in the epicontinental seas of Carboniferous North America during formation of Pangea and its role in Late Paleozoic Ice Age.  Current graduate student projects include Neogene climate and paleoceanography at low latitude settings and the historic record of hypoxia off the Texas Coast.

Bruce Herbert (Biogeochemistry, environmental geology). My research group conducts innovative research on the biogeochemistry of near-surface environments, including soils, wetlands, aquatic sediments, aquifers, and the coastal margin. Our research addresses critical issues on the environmental impact of human activities, ecosystem sustainability and dynamics, and pollutant remediation. Current student research is focused on hydrologic impacts on ecosystem functioning along the Texas Gulf Coast, characterizing the dynamics of soil microbial ecosystems through volatile organics, and the influence of the surface chemistry of minerals on organic adhesion and geotechnical engineering. We are also interested in improving learning about complex, dynamic environmental systems in ways that support the integration of research and education. As such, our research group studies geoscience at the interface between biogeochemistry, geobiology, cognitive science, geomorphology and landscape ecology. Our research on learning is being conducted in partnership with the Information Technology in Science Center for Teaching and Learning as well as the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching & Learning.

Franco Marcantonio (Radiogenic isotopic geochemistry). My research interests center on the application and development of isotope and trace element geochemical proxies in an effort to further understand past and present-day processes at the Earth's surface. Some current research areas include (1) Variations in past rates of oceanic biological productivity and eolian fluxes and the relationship to past climate change; (2) Changing patterns of deep-ocean sediment focusing and the relationship to changes in past ocean circulation and climate; and (3) Present-day and past riverine and eolian elemental fluxes to the oceans. 

Brent Miller (Geochronology).  My research interests are in U-Pb geochronology and Nd, Sr, and Pb isotopic systems used to constrain the rate and timing of tectonic events and to better understand petrogenetic processes during mountain-building events. Students will acquire hands-on experience in both field and laboratory methods, element separation chemistry, and thermal ionization mass spectrometry. Our isotope geochemistry group interacts closely with members of other research groups including paleoclimatologists, paleontologists, igneous and metamorphic petrologists, and tectonophysicists. Students interested in geochronology, hard-rock isotope geochemistry, tectonics, or geological applications of thermal ionization mass spectrometry, please contact me at bvmiller@geo.tamu.edu or 979-458-3671.

Debbie Thomas (Paleoceanography). My primary research interest is paleoceanography of the Cretaceous and Paleogene, particularly in using the deep-sea sedimentary record to investigate the relationship between global tectonism and the evolution of Earth's climate system. I use radiogenic isotopes (Nd, Pb, Hf, Sr), stable isotopes, and trace element geochemistry to investigate the effects of changing oceanic basin configurations on the patterns of deep-water formation and thermohaline circulation in order to better understand the potential regulating role of thermohaline circulation on global climate under different boundary conditions. Please see my homepage for specific projects and recent results.

Mike Tice (Geobiology, sedimentology). My general areas of research are in early microbial and environmental evolution. My recent work has focused on describing the paleoenvironmental distributions and metabolisms of some of the oldest preserved microbial communities, and on experimental exploration of factors driving formation of novel microscopic textures in microbial mats.  I also have interests in the sedimentology of mudstones and siltstones. Current projects range from an investigation of metal oxidation during deposition of some of the oldest banded iron formations designed to fill critical gaps in our knowledge of the evolution of photosynthesis to geochemical studies of organic burial processes in fine-grained deep-water depositional environments.

Bridget Wade (Micropaleontology, climate change). I use microfossils (mainly foraminifera) and their chemistry to determine patterns of evolution and extinction, ancient marine temperatures, productivity levels, and global ice volume. My research involves fieldwork in Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean/Gulf of Mexico.  I participated on Ocean Drilling Program Leg 199 and will sail on the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Equatorial Pacific Expedition 2 in 2009. Currently I am engaged in a number of research projects focusing on climate change from excellently preserved planktonic foraminifera to reconstruct sea surface temperatures across critical boundaries in Earth history. For more details please email me wade@geo.tamu.edu.