David Finkelstein

David Finkelstein is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geosciences at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, where he has been a faculty member since 2013. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and holds advanced degrees from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. His academic affiliations include prior roles as a Research Assistant Professor and Lab Manager at the University of Massachusetts and as an Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee.

• Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• M.S., University of Massachusetts, Amherst
• B.S., University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Dr. Finkelstein's research centers on limnogeology and biogeochemistry, with a focus on the chemical evolution of lake systems, stable isotope geochemistry, and microbial life in extreme environments. His work integrates aqueous geochemistry, organic molecular analysis, and microbiological methods to reconstruct paleoenvironments and climate change across geological timescales, including the Holocene, Pleistocene, Cretaceous, and Triassic periods. He has extensively studied lake sediments, wildfires, and the environmental impacts of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

His recent publications show a strong trend in using biogeochemical proxies and isotopic signatures to understand past climate variability, human-environment interactions, and extreme environmental conditions. His research often involves multidisciplinary collaborations and field-based studies in diverse regions such as Russia, Iran, and Central America.

Dr. Finkelstein is actively involved in scientific communities, with affiliations including:

• International Association of Limnogeology
• American Geophysical Union
• Geological Society of America
• Geochemical Society
• SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology)

He has advised numerous research projects and mentored students in geoscience, though specific names are not listed. His teaching includes courses such as Stable Isotope Geochemistry, Limnology, and Environmental Geochemistry, reflecting his expertise in both theoretical and applied aspects of earth sciences.

Dr. Finkelstein has not received any explicitly listed scientific awards in the provided text, but his publication record in high-impact journals demonstrates significant scholarly contributions. He does not appear to lead a named laboratory or research center, but his work is deeply embedded in field and laboratory-based geochemical analysis.