Katherine Duncker Romanak

Katherine Duncker Romanak is a Research Professor at the Bureau of Economic Geology within The University of Texas at Austin, specializing in geochemical monitoring for geological CO₂ storage. She has led environmental monitoring for major CCS projects, pioneered process-based soil gas monitoring methods, and contributed to global CCS regulations.

• Education: PhD in Geology (UT Austin, 1997), MS in Geology (UT Arlington, 1988), BS in Geology (Southern Methodist University, 1984)

Her research focuses on CO₂ leakage detection, isotope systematics, vadose zone dynamics, and groundwater protection. She develops innovative protocols for environmental monitoring and stakeholder engagement, with applications in marine and terrestrial CCS projects.

Her recent publications examine monitoring complexity impacts on stakeholder acceptance, AI-driven anomaly detection in soil gas data, and regulatory frameworks for CCS compliance. She holds two patents for process-based CO₂ detection systems and has contributed to policy development at the UNFCCC COPs and California's CCS protocols.