Research Interests

Tracking Long-Term Ice Sheet History with Cosmogenic Nuclides in Sediment

Over millions of years, how have the world's ice sheets changed in size? How have these ice sheets shaped the underlying landscapes? I use analysis of multiple cosmogenic nuclides in subglacial and marine sediments to address these questions in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Click here to learn more.

Glacial History of the Northeastern United States

Over dozens of glacial periods throughout the Quaternary, the Laurentide Ice Sheet progressively sculpted the underlying landscape that I call home: Vermont and the northeastern United States. Working closely with a team of other New England scientists, I am studying the history and behavior of the Laurentide in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and New Jersey. Click here to learn more.

Method Development

Cosmogenic nuclide methods and applications are always changing and evolving. My work focuses on improving laboratory chemistry used for extracting beryllium and aluminum, as well as testing methodological assumptions. Click here to learn more.

NSF/UVM Community Cosmogenic Facility Collaborator Projects

Through managing the NSF/UVM Community Cosmogenic Facility, I have the opportunity to host, train, and collaborate with visitors on a wide variety of projects. Click here to learn more about our diverse visitor projects.

PhD Dissertation: Preservation and Sediment Cycling Beneath “Ghost Glaciers”: How Cold-Based Ice Dictates Landscape Evolution

My PhD work at University of Vermont ('16) focused on how high-latitude landscapes, particularly those in Greenland and Arctic Canada, evolve over space and time. I was especially interested in ancient landscapes preserved beneath non-erosive glacial ice. Click here to learn more.

MS Thesis: Investigating the Timing of Deglaciation and the Efficiency of Subglacial Erosion in Central-Western Greenland

My MS work at University of Vermont ('11) aimed to use cosmogenic nuclide dating to better understand the glacial history of three sites in western Greenland: Kangerlussuaq (67°N), Ilulissat (69°N), and Upernavik (72°N). I addressed questions regarding the timing and rates of ice retreat after the last ice age and the efficiency of subglacial erosion. Click here to learn more.

BA Thesis: A Multi-Proxy Climate Reconstruction on Lake Sediment from the Uinta Mountains, Utah

For my BA thesis at Middlebury College ('07), I studied the Holocene paleoclimate of the Uinta Mountains in northeastern Utah. I used sediment cores from neighboring lakes to create multi-proxy paleoclimate reconstructions, with emphasis on drought/monsoon cycles. I also used these cores to make inferences about the geomorphic features that control how a lake's sediments record climate changes. Click here to learn more.