Structural Geology @ Hamilton College
Center photo by C. Bate. Middle photo on the right by L. Crossey. Bottom photo on the right by E. Houlihan.
Welcome!
I am an Assistant Professor of Geosciences at Hamilton College. I am a field-based structural geologist with a broad set of research interests that center around how the continental crust accomodates deformation. From flow in the lower crust to crustal scale fault/shear zone systems, I combine statistical analysis of field structural data with quantitative microstructures and interdisciplinary lab techniques to characterize strain, kinematics, and deformation processes. A natural extension (no structure-pun intended) of this research is the study of crystal-scale strain accomodation and rheology. Please head over to my research page to find out more!
Increasing the diversity of the geosciences and tackling barriers to equity and inlcusion for all people is a major priorety in my professional life.
At Hamilton, I teach an introductory Geosciences course and Structural Geology and Tectonics. I care deeply about teaching. Geologic processes exert an enormous control on many of today's pressing issues, from climate change to water resources to energy. Whether or not students persue a career in the geosciences, we need to increase our society's geologic literacy. Take a look at my teaching page to hear more about my teaching philosophy.
Contact info
email:
nmrobert@hamilton.edu
Recent Activity
- July 2022: I started as an Assistant Professor at Hamilton College.
- May 2022: Our paper, Greenstone‐Up Shear Sense at the Margin of the Mt Edgar Dome, East Pilbara Terrane: Implications for Dome and Keel Formation in the Early Earth came out in Tectonics!
- February 2021: Our paper, Internal structure of the Paleoarchean Mt Edgar dome, Pilbara Craton, Western Australia was accepted at Precambrian Research!
- June 2020: I successfully defended my PhD entitled, Internal fabrics and marginal deformation of the Paleoarchean Mt Edgar dome, East Pilbara Terrane, Western Australia: Structural constraints on crustal flow in the early Earth.
- Sept 2019: Two of us from the East Pilbara project presented at the GSA 2019 Fall Meeting. It was a particularly great meeting with lots of good sessions about deformation and tectonics.
- March-April 2019: Had a fantastic time as a visiting instructor for Structural Geology at Colorado College, Block 7.
- Dec 2018: Attended the AGU Fall Meeting.
- Oct 2018: Looking forward to attending the AGU Fall Meeting in Washington, D.C., where I will present work from the East Pilbara craton (see abstract).
- June 2018: Our paper on statistics in structural geology, Roberts et al., 2018, was accepted to the Journal of Structural Geology 40th anniversary special volume.
- May 1 to August 10, 2018: Everone in the field team has made it back safetly after a superb three month field season in the East Pilbara.
- April 2018: Successfully passed my preliminary exam into dissertator status.
- December 2017: Presented a poster at the AGU Fall meeting about keeping track of orientation data in the StraboSpot data system.
- November 2017: Gave a talk at the Specialist Group in Tectonics and Structural Geology (SGTSG) meeting in Denmark, Western Australia.
- November 2017: Attended the 7-day SGTSG preconference field trip led by the Geological Survey of Western Australia.