I am an associate professor of geochemistry at Western Carolina University, focused on understanding environmental changes in the oceans over geologic time. Much of my research has focused on the Permian and Triassic periods – the warm transition interval between the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras – and on the two major mass extinctions that paved the way for our modern marine ecosystem. More recently, I’ve started investigating the Ediacaran and early Cambrian, an inflection point in the coevolution of earth and life that gave rise to the animal phyla that are still with us today. To study the deep past, I apply a set of geochemical tools to marine sedimentary rocks from around the world. As a field geologist, I’ve had the opportunity to work on four continents, and across much of the geologic time scale. I’ve also introduced dozens of students to the practice of field geology through my summer field courses in southwestern Montana. To learn more, visit the Research and Teaching sections of this page.