My research involves the application of isotope geochemistry and high-to-low temperature thermochronology to structural and tectonic questions in orogenic systems. My approach blends both laboratory and field-based approaches, with the current focus on the formation and collapse of the North American Cordillera and the accretion-deformation history of Central Asia (Tianshan-Altai and the Pamir-Tibet-Himalaya orogens). In addition to application, I am always looking for new ways to do and use geochemistry and thermochronology. Currently, I am developing fission-track thermochronometers in novel mineral systems (e.g., monazite fission-track) and integrating geochronology and geochemistry (e.g., apatite fission-track, U-Pb, and trace elements). Finally, tectonic events and deformation rarely occur in isolation. In collaboration with colleagues from paleoclimate and sedimentology backgrounds, I seek to interrogate how flux in the global paleoclimate influences the distribution of global orogens.
