November 9, 2021

The Division of Earth Sciences (EAR) welcomes an acting section head, two new program specialists, three new program directors.

Robin Reichlin has been appointed to serve as Acting Section Head for the Disciplinary Section. EAR would like to thank Eva Zanzerkia for serving as Acting Section Head since December 2020, including her tireless efforts to lead EAR through the 2021 Committee of Visitors.

Gloria Perez joined EAR on a detail as a Program Specialist supporting the Sedimentary Geology and Paleobiology program. Gloria has worked at NSF for about 36 years in the Division of Ocean Sciences and Division of Engineering Education and Centers.

Marvin Delaney has joined EAR as a Program Specialist for the Education and Human Resource and Hydrologic Science Programs. Mr. Delaney previously worked at DHS Science and Technology and at Northrup Grumman. He also served as a non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Army.

Dr. Hendratta N. Ali has joined EAR as an IPA Program Director in Hydrologic Sciences. Dr. Ali is an Associate Professor of Geosciences at Fort Hays State University (FHSU). She holds a BSc degree in Earth Sciences and an MSc in Soil Sciences from the University of Yaounde I, Cameroon, and a Ph.D. in Geology from Oklahoma State University. Her research interests include exploration geology, sediment geochemistry, and aqueous, environmental, and stable isotope geochemistry. Dr. Ali has also been at the forefront of the movement to improve Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) in the geosciences. Her efforts and accomplishments as a scholar, educator, and activist are widely recognized. Most recently, she has been named President’s Distinguished Scholar at FHSU and she will also receive the Randolph W. “Bill and Cecile T. Bromery Award from the Geological Society of America.

Dr. Elizabeth Hearn has joined EAR as a VSEE Program Director in Geophysics. Dr. Hearn has been an independent research geophysicist since 2012. Prior to that, she spent 10 years on the faculty of the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences of the University of British Columbia, where she received tenure in 2008. Dr. Hearn holds a BA from Rice University, an MA from UC Berkeley, and a Ph.D. from the University of Oregon, all in Geophysics. Dr. Hearn’s research focus is on developing numerical models to address the kinematics and dynamics of fault systems, regional tectonics, and seismic hazard research. She has been active in the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) as both a participant and a member of its Planning Committee since the early 2000s.

Dr. Amanda Keen-Zebert has joined EAR as an IPA Program Director in Geomorphology and Land Use Dynamics. Dr. Keen-Zebert is a Research Professor at the Desert Research Institute (DRI) in the Division of Earth and Ecosystem Science. At DRI her research specializes in geochronology and geomorphology, and she is Director of a research laboratory focused on optically stimulated luminescence techniques and applications to geoscience problems. Prior to coming to DRI, she was Assistant Professor at Murray State University. She holds a BA and MA in Geography from the University of Arkansas, a Ph.D. in Environmental Geography from Texas State University, and an MBA from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She was the recipient of an NSF International Research Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Wales, UK. Professor Keen-Zebert was a recipient of the 2015 Nevada Regents Rising Star Research Award. Professor Keen-Zebert has been active as a leader promoting positive change at DRI and in the wider community. At DRI she initiated and instituted a revision of their Scientific Integrity and Professional Ethics Policies and established an institute-wide advisory group dedicated to Inclusivity, Diversity, Ethics, and Accessibility (IDEA). She serves on an ad hoc committee within the American Quaternary Association (AMQUA) and volunteers as a lecturer for the Association for Women Geoscientists Distinguished Lecturer Program.

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