Environmental science research sits at the interface of geological processes and ecosystems. Research in this area is inherently interdisciplinary as workers use many different methods and tools to investigate the environment. As a result, environmental science research happens in many schools and units on campus. In our department, work in this area includes studying carbon cycling in the Arctic, environmental mineral surface reactivity such as the oxidation of sulfide surfaces and its relation to acid mine drainage, mercury cycling and mercury isotopic variations in biotic and abiotic systems, societal resilience and natural hazards.

Faculty Specialties Associated Laboratories and Research Groups
Udo Becker Mineral surface science, computational mineralogy, actinide geochemistry, principles of redox kinetics, biomineralization. Surface Geochemistry and Computational Mineralogy Group
Joel Blum Isotope Geochemistry, Geochemistry of heavy metals, mercury in the environment, geoarcheology, forest biogeochemistry.  
Rose Cory Photochemistry, biogeochemistry, carbon cycle, freshwater, Arctic. Research Website
Greg Dick Environmental microbiology, microbial mats, Earth's oxygenation, harmful cyanobacterial blooms, Great Lakes. Michigan Geomicrobiology Lab
Jenan Kharbush Microbial Biogeochemistry, nitrogen cycling, harmful algal blooms, Compound-Specific Stable Isotope Analysis, Microbial Metabolomics Microbial Biogeochemistry Lab
Nathan Sheldon Paleosols, terrestrial biogeochemistry, Precambrian geobiology, paleoecology. Continental Environments Research Group
Affiliated Faculty Specialties Primary Affiliation Associated Laboratories and Research Groups
Gretchen Keppel-Aleks   Climate and Space Sciences Engineering Carbon Cycle Research Group
Kerri Pratt Chemistry, Polar Regions, Snow, Atmosphere Chemistry Pratt Lab
Allison Steiner Regional Climate, Land-Atmosphere Interactions, Atmospheric Chemistry Climate and Space Sciences Engineering Research Group