Faculty and Staff

Who are the GES faculty?

Appalachian's GES faculty include four Fellows of the Geological Society of America, two National Geographic Explorers, three Fellows of the Explorers Club, eight UNC Board of Governors Teaching Awardees, and winners of numerous university-wide, local, and regional teaching/leadership/service awards. They have conducted research on every continent, from the tops of mountains to the bottom of the ocean, and have a wide range of interests and expertise.  

Note to international applicants: The Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences is an undergraduate-only (baccalaureate-granting) department; the faculty cannot directly supervise MS, PhD, or postdoctoral researchers. If you are interested in continuing your graduate education in the United States, you will need to contact universities with MS and PhD programs.

Teaching and Administrative Faculty

Name Position Contact
Dr. William P. Anderson Jr.
Professor: Hydrogeology
(he/him/his)
Dr. William H. Armstrong
Associate Professor: Glaciology
(he/him/his)
Morgan Baker
Lecturer: Science Writing & Professional Development
Dr. Sarah K. Carmichael
Professor: Fluid-Rock Geochemistry and Biomineralogy
(she/her/hers)
Dr. Gabriele M. Casale
Assistant Vice Provost for Research & Innovation
Professor: Structural Geology
Dr. Ellen A. Cowan
Professor: Sedimentary record of climate change, Geoarchaeology, Geomorphology
(she/her/hers)
Dr. Cole Edwards
Associate Professor: Carbonate Sedimentology and Stratigraphy
(he/him/his)
Dr. Sarah G. Evans
Associate Professor: Hydrogeology
(she/her/hers)
Dr. Steven J. Hageman
Professor: Invertebrate Paleontology, Paleoecology
(he/him/his)
Dr. Andrew B. Heckert
Professor: Vertebrate Paleontology, Dinosaurs, Litho/Biostratigraphy
(he/him/his)
Dr. Christine Ogilvie Hendren
Vice Provost for Research & Innovation
Professor: Nanomaterial Risk Assessment and Integration and Implementation Sciences (I2S)
Dr. Brooke Hunter
Assistant Professor: Critical Zone Science
(she/her/hers)
Dr. Jamie S. Levine
Professor: Structure, Tectonics, and Metamorphic Petrology
(she/her/hers)
Dr. Cynthia M. Liutkus
Professor and Chair: Sedimentology and Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction
(she/her/hers)
Dr. Brandon Lutz
Assistant Teaching Professor
Laura Mallard
Senior Lecturer: Geoscience Education
Dr. Scott T. Marshall
Professor: Geophysics, Satellite Geodesy, and Fracture Mechanics
(he/him/his)
Joey Mosteller
Senior Lecturer: Physical and Environmental Geology
Dr. Bob Swarthout
Associate Professor (joint appointment with Department of Chemistry) and Director of Environmental Sciences
Marta Toran
Lecturer and Outreach Coordinator
Dr. Lauren H. Waterworth
Senior Lecturer: Environmental Law
(she/her/hers)
Brian W. Zimmer
Senior Lecturer: Volcanology
(he/him/his)

Staff

Name Position Contact
Anthony Love
Research Operations and Laboratories Manager
(he/him/his)
Lauri J. Miller
Office Manager

Emeritus Faculty & Staff

Name Position Contact
Richard N. Abbott Jr.
Emeritus Professor: Metamorphic Petrology and Mineralogy
John E. Callahan
Emeritus Professor: Economic Geology
Marjorie J. McKinney
Emeritus Museum Curator
Loren A. Raymond
Emeritus Professor: Petrotectonics
Johnny A. Waters
Emeritus & Adjunct Research Professor: Invertebrate Paleontology
Fred Webb Jr.
Emeritus Professor: Sedimentology

Affiliated Faculty

Name Position Contact
Dr. Denise Akob
Affiliated Research Professor
Research Microbiologist, United States Geological Survey (Reston, VA)
D. Randy Blood, AAPG Certified Petroleum Geologist
Affiliated Research Professor
DRB Geological Consulting
Dr. Michael Erb
Research Scientist, Research Associate Professor
Dr. Gregg H. Marland
Affiliated Research Professor
Research Institute for Environment, Energy, and Economics
Dr. Arthur Merschat
Affiliated Research Professor
Research Geologist, United States Geological Survey (Reston, VA)
Dr. William Miller
Affiliated Research Professor
Professor of Geology: Humboldt State University
Keith C. Seramur, P.G.
Adjunct Research and Teaching Professor
Seramur and Associates (Boone, NC)
Joan Smyth, P.G., RSM
Adjunct Research and Teaching Professor
Smith-Gardner Inc.