معرفی
Dr. Diana Boyer is a Professor of Geology at Winthrop University's College of Arts and Sciences. She holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Geology from the University of California, Riverside, and a B.S. in Geology from the University of Delaware. Her research focuses on reconstructing ancient marine communities and understanding mass extinctions, particularly the End Devonian Hangenberg Crisis. She employs geochemical, sedimentological, and paleontological proxies to investigate environmental drivers of biodiversity loss, with recent attention to parallels between ancient extinctions and modern ocean changes. Dr. Boyer has secured external funding from the National Science Foundation and the Petroleum Research Fund, producing extensive publications in professional journals. She collaborates closely with students on microplastic research in coastal environments and teaches courses including Historical Geology, Oceanography, and Dinosaurs!. Her fieldwork includes studies in the Bahamas and the Great Basin region of the U.S.
Education:
- Ph.D., Geology, University of California, Riverside
- M.S., Geology, University of California, Riverside
- B.S., Geology, University of Delaware
Research Interests: Dr. Boyer’s work integrates multiple disciplines to understand how marine ecosystems respond to environmental stressors. Her studies of Devonian black shales reveal dynamic paleoenvironments and the interplay between anoxia, trace fossils, and biotic crises. She explores mechanisms behind mass extinctions using innovative proxy combinations, emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary approaches. Current projects include microplastic distribution patterns in beach sands and refining stratigraphic models for late Paleozoic events.
Teaching & Advising: In addition to graduate supervision, Dr. Boyer advises undergraduate research projects, particularly in microplastic analysis. She teaches field courses in the Bahamas and lab-intensive modules on geochemistry and paleontology.
Labs & Collaborations: Collaborations span institutions for multi-proxy studies of ancient oceans. Her lab focuses on trace fossil analysis, isotopic geochemistry, and sedimentological modeling.
