It was natural for me to work hard in school given my parents’ focus on education. I did well in math and science and decided in my junior and senior years of high school to do a research project that ultimately resulted in me presenting (and winning some accolades) at Missouri, National, and International high-school science competitions. I went on to earn my bachelor, masters, and doctoral geology degrees in Minnesota followed by four-years of postdoctoral studies in Switzerland. I moved back to Missouri in 1996 when I accepted an academic position as geology professor at Saint Louis University. Sixteen years later, in 2012, I chose to leave the University and accepted a research staff position with Shell International Exploration and Production company in Houston, Texas. I worked at Shell for nine years before voluntarily retiring in 2021 after having moved back to St. Louis in 2019 and working remotely for two years.
Professionally, I have published 25+ research articles and (co)presented 80+ talks at professional meetings, was awarded numerous federal grants for research and teaching, and served several years on a National Science Foundation panel that reviewed projects focused on teaching science to undergraduate students. For most of my academic career I taught undergraduate and graduate courses, mentored many students, and took the lead in developing the Environmental Science and Studies program at Saint Louis University. In my research, I investigated processes associated with the deformation of the Earth that resulted in the formation of mountain ranges and generation of earthquakes. In industry, I provided scientific advice to business units in Shell who were making multi-billion dollar decisions in the Gulf of Mexico, conceived and executed a large field project in Albania, and worked on four large AI / machine-learning projects, two of which resulted in 2023 U.S. patents on AI/machine learning. I am grateful to have had a wonderful career as teacher, mentor, and researcher.