Sally Horn

Sally Horn is a Professor in the Department of Physical Geography at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her research focuses on Quaternary environments, biogeography, and human-environment interactions during the Pleistocene and Holocene epochs. She directs the University of Tennessee’s Initiative for Quaternary Paleoclimate Research, emphasizing global environmental change and its impacts on modern ecosystems. Her work integrates field studies in Costa Rica, Mexico, and the Caribbean with advanced analytical techniques like isotope geochemistry and sediment micromorphology.

Dr. Horn holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. Her research has addressed topics such as fire history, prehistoric agriculture, and climate-driven vegetation shifts. Major projects include reconstructing Holocene precipitation variability in tropical regions and assessing the effects of pre-Columbian land use on ecosystems. She collaborates with international teams to study mountain ecosystems, glacial chronology, and paleoflood records in the Tennessee River basin.

Her contributions span academic advising, experiential learning programs for community college transfers, and public engagement through initiatives like the 'Mic Nite' presentation series. She has published extensively on diatom ecology, paleoclimatic proxies, and the application of geochronological methods to environmental history.