Eric Kirby

Eric Kirby is an Adjunct Research Professor in the Department of Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, within the College of Arts and Sciences. He is actively engaged in tectonics and geomorphology research, leading the Tectonics and Geomorphology Lab.

Education:

• Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2001)
• M.S., University of New Mexico (1994)
• B.A., Hamilton College (1992)

Dr. Kirby's research centers on the interplay between tectonics, climate, and erosion in shaping mountainous landscapes. His work spans active mountain belts globally, with a focus on the Tibetan Plateau, convergent margins, and active fault systems. He investigates landscape responses to rock uplift, mantle flow, and hydrological processes, integrating field observations with geochronology and geophysical data.

His recent publications reveal a strong trend in Quaternary tectonics, paleoseismology, fluvial geomorphology, and climate-tectonics coupling. Key themes include fault slip rate quantification, paleolake evolution, river terrace formation, and transient landscape responses to base-level changes, primarily in high-elevation and tectonically active regions.

Scientific Awards:

• No awards listed in the provided text.

Dr. Kirby actively mentors graduate students and collaborates on funded research projects involving landscape evolution, critical zone dynamics, and tectonic geomorphology. His work is supported by publications in top-tier journals and collaborations with leading institutions. He advises several students, including W.M. Rittase, Q. Su, N. West, and X. Shi, who appear as first authors on joint publications.

He leads the Tectonics and Geomorphology Lab, which conducts research on active tectonics, surface processes, and landscape evolution using field mapping, remote sensing, and numerical modeling techniques.