Research
My interests are in tectonics, and in particular, understanding the processes that control the deformation of continental plate interiors at timescales ranging from years to tens of millions of years. I approach this research primarily through field observations, including geologic mapping, thermochronology, structural analysis, and stratigraphic studies. Through the comparison of spatial and temporal variations in the rates of deformation, I develop models to better understand why plate motion is distributed within continental plates, rather than focused along their margins, and how deformation, from that of individual earthquakes to the interaction of fault systems, produces the patterns of strain seen in active orogens today. This work is interdisciplinary, and I collaborate frequently with geodesists, geochemists and geochronologists to better constrain modern and past rates of tectonic deformation.
Current and Recent Research Projects
Magnitude and timing of shortening in the Greater Caucasus
Funded by NSF-Tectonics and the Civilian Research and Development Fund
A structural and thermochronologic study on the onset and rate of exhumation and deformation in the Greater Caucasus, and the relationship between this deformation and the ongoing Arabia-Eurasia collision. More
Cenozoic Paleotopography of the Basin and Range
Funded by NSF-Tectonics through a CAREER Award
Understanding the topographic evolution of the Basin and Range throughout it's history of Cenozoic extension using traditional and clumped-isotope proxies for paleoelevation and paleo-surface temperature. More
Growth of the Tibetan Plateau and Eastern Asia Climate
Funded by NSF-Continental Dynamics
A study of the interplay between orogenic growth, atmospheric dynamics, and paleoclimate, and their effects on the hydrologic cycle in northern Tibet and throughout eastern Asia. More