Blaine W. Schubert

Blaine W. Schubert serves as Professor of Geosciences at East Tennessee State University within the School of Science, Engineering, and Math. He directs the Don Sundquist Center of Excellence in Paleontology and holds an adjunct professorship in Biological Sciences. International affiliations include Research Associate at Argentina's Museo de la Plata, while professional memberships span the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, National Speleological Society, Southeastern Cave Conservancy, Tennessee Cave Survey, and Tennessee Herpetological Society.

His research centers on late Cenozoic vertebrate paleobiology, specifically investigating Pleistocene extinctions, biogeographic patterns, cave paleontology, paleoecology, and systematic classification. Current projects analyze fossil amphibians, reptiles, and mammals to reconstruct ancient ecosystems and extinction dynamics, with significant fieldwork conducted at Tennessee cave sites and the Gray Fossil Site.

Professor Schubert teaches Life Through Time, Paleontological Techniques, Topics in Paleontology, Seminar in Geosciences, and Paleoherpetology—courses emphasizing practical fossil analysis and evolutionary history. As Center Executive Director, he oversees research infrastructure supporting student fieldwork, fossil preparation, and international collaborations, particularly with South American institutions.

The Don Sundquist Center of Excellence in Paleontology, under his leadership, drives integrated research connecting the Gray Fossil Site's rich Miocene-Pliocene deposits with broader questions about climate-driven extinction events. This work positions ETSU as a key institution for southeastern U.S. paleontological studies and provides students with direct access to active fossil excavation and analysis.