Robert Holder

Robert Holder is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Michigan. His research focuses on understanding the processes of subduction, continental collision, and crustal melting, using metamorphic and igneous rocks from ancient mountain belts. He operates a state-of-the-art laser-ablation inductively-coupled-plasma mass-spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) laboratory for U–Pb geochronology and trace-element analysis. Holder earned his PhD in Earth Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara (2018), following an MS (2014) and BA in Geology (2012) from Gustavus Adolphus College. His work integrates field studies with advanced analytical techniques to explore Earth’s tectonic evolution.

Education:

• PhD Earth Science, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2018
• MS Earth Science, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2014
• BA Geology & Scandinavian Studies, Gustavus Adolphus College, 2012

Research interests:

• Plate tectonics evolution through time
• Metamorphic and igneous processes
• U-Pb petrochronology
• Thermal history of mountain belts

Lab facilities: The MI-Chron LA-ICP-MS lab enables high-precision analysis of rock and mineral compositions, supporting studies in geochronology and geochemistry.