Sandra Passchier

Sandra Passchier is a Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Studies at Montclair State University, affiliated with the College of Science and Mathematics. She holds adjunct positions at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. Her research focuses on polar ice sheets, coastal systems, and sedimentology, with fieldwork in Antarctica, Greenland, and New Jersey. She has led NSF-funded projects, including studies on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and Pliocene climate dynamics. Passchier has advised over 20 graduate students and teaches courses like Sedimentology and Advanced Marine Geology.

Education: MS from the University of Amsterdam (1994), PhD from The Ohio State University (2000). Research interests include climate change impacts on polar regions, sedimentary processes, and analytical methods like XRF and SEM. Notable awards include Fellow of the Geological Society of America and the Antarctic Service Medal.

Recent articles highlight dynamic Antarctic ice behavior, Eocene-Oligocene transitions, and Pliocene sediment records. Her work bridges geology and climate science, with contributions to journals like Nature Communications and Geosphere. Passchier has served on expert panels for ocean drilling and editorial boards, including Marine Geology and The Holocene.

Grants include NSF awards for Antarctic drilling expeditions and coastal sediment studies. Advising spans PhD students like Victoria Hojnacki and Melissa Hansen, with over 50 undergraduates involved in research. Her outreach includes public lectures and K-12 education programs on climate science.