Current Fosdick Lab Members
Lab PI
Julie Fosdick, Ph.D. (Associate Professor) she/her
Education
Ph.D., 2012: Geological & Environmental Sciences, Stanford University
M.S., 2007: Geological & Environmental Sciences, Stanford University
B.S., 2004: Geological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara
Email: julie.fosdick at uconn.edu
Curriculum Vitae Digital Repository of Publications
Julie is a geoscientist with expertise in thermochronology, geochronology, and sedimentary basin analysis. Her research focuses on reconstructing ancient and active mountain-building and erosion to understand how tectonics, magmatism, and surface processes interact to shape the Earth’s continental lithosphere. Julie holds a B.S. with high honors from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Stanford University in Geological and Environmental Sciences. Julie was a National Science Foundation Earth Science Postdoctoral Fellow through the University of Arizona from 2012-2013. Julie is the recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER Award to explore the detrital thermochronologic signals of sediment recycling in orogenic systems, with focus on the Argentine Sierras Pampeanas. She directs the Basin Analysis and Helium Thermochronology Laboratory service center at UConn and has served previously as the Department of Earth Sciences Undergraduate Research Coordinator. Julie was a founding board member of the Geological Society of America Geochronology Division and served as its Secretary/Treasurer from 2018-2021. Currently, Julie is a Northeast Delegate of the Association for Women Geoscientists.
Postdocs and Students
Cullen Kortyna, Ph.D. (Postdoctoral Scholar)
Education
Ph.D., 2022: Geological Sciences, University of Texas at Austin
M.S., 2013: Geosciences, University of Arizona
B.S., 2011: Geology, Bucknell University
Email: cullen.kortyna at uconn.edu
Cullen’s research is broadly motivated by the dynamic interplay between tectonics, climate, and sedimentary systems—how do tectonic and climatic processes drive erosion and sedimentation, and how do sedimentary systems respond to and modify tectonically-active landscapes? Cullen uses a combination of field methods, sedimentology/stratigraphy, geo-/thermochronology, and detrital provenance techniques to reconstruct ancient mountain chains, landscapes, and drainage networks. At UConn, his postdoc work will focus on developing and using detrital monazite geo-/thermochronology to reconstruct Acadian mountain building, erosion, sedimentation, and burial heating histories in the northeast U.S. to better understand the controls on and linkages between Acadian orogenesis, sedimentation, and burial.
Julian Biddle (Ph.D. Candidate)
Education
M.S., 2017: Geological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso
B.S., 2015: Geological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso
Email: julian.biddle at uconn.edu
Julian’s research will involve using structural, sedimentologic, and low-temperature thermochronologic techniques to understand the mountain-building and basin development of the Sierras Pampeanas in Argentina. He is particularly focused on using the apatite, zircon, and monazite (U-Th)/He thermochronology systems to help constrain the thermal history of the Sierras Pampeanas.
Arielle Mota (M.S. Student)
Education
B.S., 2023: Geology, Northern Illinois University
Email: arielle.mota at uconn.edu
Arielle received her B.S. in Geology from Northern Illinois University where she studied past climate in the Northern Latitudes using peat cores. Her Masters research at UConn will focus on quantifying long-term erosion rates through modern catchment detrital apatite (U-Th)/He thermochronology in the modern Sierras Pampeanas ranges in Argentina.
Ozan Sinoplu (Ph.D. Student)
Education
M.Sc., 2023: Geology, Auburn University (USA)
B.Sc., 2019: Geological Engineering, Middle East Technical University (TUR)
Email: ozan at uconn.edu
Website: www.ozansinoplu.com
Ozan’s research interests revolve around Paleozoic to recent tectonic problems in various settings. His work at UConn includes investigating basin history in Sierras Pampeanas through geochemistry, sedimentology and geo/thermo-chronology. In a broader context, this work aims to further the understanding of polycyclic sedimentation and related proxies in orogenic basins.