Robert R. Gaines

Robert R. Gaines is the Edwin F. and Martha Hahn Professor of Geology and Chair of Geology at Pomona College, where he has been affiliated since 2003. His research focuses on the Cambrian Explosion, Burgess Shale-type preservation, and microbial-mineral interactions, with field sites spanning Canada, China, and the American Great Basin.

Education includes a Ph.D. from the University of California, Riverside, an M.S. from the University of Cincinnati, and a B.S. from the College of William and Mary.

Gaines' work deciphers the geochemical and taphonomic mechanisms enabling exceptional fossil preservation, particularly in Cambrian seas. His research integrates sedimentary geology, paleoredox conditions, and early animal evolution, revealing links between ocean chemistry and the fossil record.

Awards include the Wig Distinguished Professorship Award for Excellence in Teaching (2007, 2013). He has secured major grants such as NSF EAR-1554897 for Burgess Shale research and a Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation award ($922,816) for stable-isotope facility development.

He advises graduate and undergraduate researchers, including Brian S. Murphy and Michael A. Torres. Grant leadership includes National Geographic and NSF projects exploring Cambrian fossil sites.