Derek Gibson

Derek Gibson serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. His research bridges hydrology and paleoclimatology through analysis of lacustrine sedimentary records to reconstruct past hydroclimate changes and assess impacts on freshwater resources.

Education:

• B.S. in Geology, Ball State University, 2016
• Ph.D. in Applied Earth Sciences, Indiana University, 2022

His work combines sedimentological, geochemical, and isotopic proxies from globally collected sediment cores to understand Holocene hydroclimate dynamics. Key projects examine Central American precipitation sensitivity during the Medieval Climate Anomaly/Little Ice Age and Midwestern U.S. climate-flood relationships, with direct implications for improving regional climate models and agricultural resilience in vulnerable regions.

Publication trends (2019-2024) reveal concentrated focus on Central American drought mechanisms using Yucatán Peninsula cores and Midwestern flood history through Ohio River floodplain sediments. Methodologies emphasize multi-proxy integration (δ¹⁸O, grain size, accumulation rates) to resolve hydroclimate extremes at local scales.

Scientific Awards:

• NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship (2022) for Central American paleoclimate research

Dr. Gibson leads NSF-funded field campaigns collecting sediment cores across western Central America and coordinates with the LIBRE scientific drilling team. His research directly supports climate adaptation planning for rainfed agricultural regions facing intensifying hydroclimate extremes.

He actively collaborates through the Lake Izabal Basin Research Endeavor (LIBRE) project and maintains field operations in Central American lake basins and Midwestern U.S. floodplains for ongoing paleoclimate reconstruction.