Current Research Projects
Tectonic growth of the Andean Precordillera
Approaching the exploration of fault growth  patterns and processes by  combining low-temperature thermochronometry and cosmogenic radionuclide dating to evaluate erosion rates at different spatial and temporal scales:  Andean Pre-cordillera fold-thrust belt (D. Granger, D. Shuster).
Low-temperature thermochronometry method development
These projects  involve understanding age resetting in low-T thermochronometers including: differences in radiation damage healing and diffusion kinetics for each method (C. Willett, K. Gallagher,  D. Shuster), stable isotope measurements to detect rock-fluid interactions in apatite (S. Kim, N. Randolph-flagg, D. Shuster), and best-practices for thermal history modeling (K. Murray, A. Steven-Goddard, M. Wildman).
Paleo-topography and Paleo-altimetry: Rocky Mountains and Great Plains
​​Cessation of compressional tectonics, preserved paleo-surfaces, and less than 1-2 km of exhumation recorded since the early Cenozoic implies the the Rockies are an ancient landscape. On the other hand, increasing relief, maintained high elevations, and active river incision suggest this landscape is much younger and still developing. Can we uncover the incision history of the Arkansas River and paleo-topography preservation in the southern Rocky Mountains? (N. Niemi, G. Gehrels, A. Tye and K. Townsend, H. Fricke).
Past Research Projects
Continental Rifting: Rio Grande rift and beyond
During my PhD I worked on solving the Rio Grande rift debate (synchronous vs propagating rift) using low-temperature thermochronometry and spatiotemporal analysis of magmatism (N. Niemi). Can we go even farther and ask: What controls the success or failure of a continental rift?
Southern Rocky Mountains, CO
Multidisciplinary work from my PhD revealed differential exhumation in the southern Rockies, during the Laramide Orogeny, insights into paleo-topography during the early Cenozoic, formation of the regional Eocene erosion surface, and evidence for top-down resetting of low-temperature thermochronometers.