Charles Kerans

Charles Kerans is a Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin's Jackson School of Geosciences. He holds the Robert K. Goldhammer Chair of Carbonate Geology and is a Senior Research Scientist at the Bureau of Economic Geology. His roles include co-Principal Investigator of the Carbonate Reservoir Characterization Research Laboratory and Morgan J. Davis Centennial Chair in Geosciences. Kerans specializes in carbonate sequence stratigraphy, reservoir characterization, and integrating outcrop data with subsurface studies.

Research focuses on carbonate platform evolution, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, and stratigraphic architecture. Key areas include Last Interglacial sea-level changes, Permian Basin sedimentology, and Jurassic-Cretaceous Arabian plate geochemistry. His work bridges geological time scales with modern environmental processes.

• Awarded AAPG Grover Murray Distinguished Educator (2014)
• Recipient of SEPM Francis J. Pettijohn Medal (2014)
• SEPM Honorary Membership (2017)
• Carlos Dengo Award (2008) and multiple Wallace Pratt Awards

Advising contributions include mentoring students and postdocs in carbonate geology and reservoir studies. Research labs include the Carbonate Reservoir Characterization Lab. Teaching focuses on carbonate sedimentology and diagenesis courses.

Fieldwork spans the Bahamas, Texas Permian Basin, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia, emphasizing outcrop analogs for subsurface reservoirs. Ongoing projects explore sea-level fluctuations, mixed clastic-carbonate systems, and paleoenvironmental impacts on sedimentation.