Tom Johnson

Tom Johnson is a Professor in the Department of Earth Science & Environmental Change at the University of Illinois, affiliated with the School of Earth, Society & Environment. He holds a PhD from the University of California at Berkeley. His research focuses on environmental and isotope geochemistry, particularly the geochemical behavior of redox-sensitive elements like chromium, selenium, uranium, and mercury. His group uses advanced isotope analysis techniques, including multicollector ICP-MS, to study contamination sources, redox reactions, and Earth's environmental history.

Education: PhD in Geochemistry, University of California at Berkeley. Courses taught include GEOL 117 (The Oceans), GEOL 118 (Natural Disasters), and specialized courses in hydrogeology and isotope geochemistry.

Research Interests: Environmental Geochemistry, Isotope Geochemistry, Hydrogeology, Contaminant Geochemistry. The Johnson Group develops methods to track environmental contaminants using stable isotopes, with applications to coal waste remediation, water quality, and Earth's redox evolution. Key projects include chromium isotope analysis for contamination tracking and uranium isotope studies for ancient atmospheric oxygen levels.

Lab & Collaborations: Uses the department’s multicollector ICP-MS laboratory. Collaborates with the Lundstrom group. Advises graduate and undergraduate students working on water resources, isotope tracing, and contamination studies. Graduates work in academia, environmental consulting, and government sectors.