Peter Sheehan

Peter Sheehan is an Emeritus Adjunct Professor in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), affiliated with the College of Letters & Science. He holds the Robert and Sally Manegold Distinguished Curatorial Chair at the Milwaukee Public Museum and has served as Curator III, IV, and V there. His academic career spans over five decades, with a PhD in Paleontology from UC Berkeley (1971) and an MA from the same institution (1967). He has held adjunct professorships at UWM since 1977 and previously lectured at the University of Western Ontario (1972-1973) and conducted postdoctoral research in Sweden (1971-1972).

His research focuses on mass extinctions, particularly the Late Ordovician and Cretaceous-Paleogene events, brachiopod community ecology, and the ecological aftermath of extinction crises. Key projects include studying microbial mat expansion post-Ordovician extinction, K/T asteroid impact effects, and Silurian faunal radiations. He also investigates modern glacial meltwater dynamics in Antarctic regions like the Bellingshausen and Amundsen Seas.

• Professional Affiliations: Fellow of the Geological Society of America and Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, among others.
• Research Themes: Extinction mechanisms, sequence stratigraphy, paleobiogeography, and climate-ocean interactions.
• Fieldwork: Extensive work in the Great Basin (USA), Estonia, and Antarctica.

Recent publications emphasize Antarctic ice shelf dynamics, Bay of Bengal monsoon influences, and glacial meltwater pathways. His work bridges paleontology with modern environmental science, addressing both historical and contemporary Earth system challenges.