About the Department

Geosciences is an interdisciplinary science that emphasizes the study of major Earth systems and how they are connected. In the Department of Geosciences, we teach and conduct research in a variety of areas in the geosciences including paleontology, evolutionary paleoecology, sedimentology and stratigraphy, surface processes, mineralogy and petrology, tectonics, environmental geology, biogeochemistry, and groundwater studies.

Our faculty and graduate students publish their work in leading journals and over the past two years have published over 100 research papers. The faculty and students at all levels present their research at national and international conferences. We also provide our students with opportunities to gain field and laboratory experience. The department has many research projects that have a strong field-based component and funding is available to students to support field work. Many research projects involve travel to locations such as South America, Bahamas, Iceland, Alaska, and Utah. Cincinnati and the surrounding tri-state region also serve as an excellent field area for invertebrate paleontology, sedimentology, stratigraphy, hydrogeology, geomorphology, and geochemistry. While much of the research in the department involves field work, the faculty also conduct a great deal of cutting-edge laboratory research. 

As a department, our instructional mission is vast. The goal of our graduate program is to produce well-rounded graduate students who not only take part in advanced research, but also gain extensive field, laboratory, and teaching experience. Upon completion of the program, graduate students are prepared to continue on to doctoral or post-doctoral programs, pursue faculty positions, or obtain professional positions in industry and with the government. At the undergraduate level our students are introduced to the breadth of geosciences and are provided with the opportunity to focus on the key areas of expertise. Undergraduates leave the program prepared to pursue graduate work or to enter the professional geosciences field.

Interested in learning more about the department's past? Visit the Departmental History page.