Elizabeth J Catlos

Elizabeth J Catlos
Associate Professor, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences

Email: ejcatlos@jsg.utexas.edu
Work: +1 512 471 4762
Office: JGB 3.320B
Mailcode: C9000

Elizabeth Jacqueline Catlos joined the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin as an Associate Professor in 2008. Before her appointment at UT, she was on the faculty at Oklahoma State University from 2001 to 2008. She is an Affiliate Faculty for UT Austin's Center for Planetary Systems Habitability (since 2020) and Center for Russian and Eastern European Studies (since 2019). Catlos was a UT Austin Harrington Fellow from 2007-2008 and spent the 2008-2009 academic year as a Fulbright Senior Lecturer in the Department of Geological Engineering at Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey. In the summer of 2015, she was a Visiting Researcher at UCLA, and in Fall 2017, she served as a Max Kade Distinguished Visiting Professor at Heidelberg University, Germany. She routinely teaches an online class in introductory geology for Soochow University International Programs, Taiwan, during the summer and winter breaks.

Catlos’ research interests include developing and applying geochemical and geochronological techniques to study lithosphere dynamics and metamorphic processes. She specializes in accessory mineral geochronology, isotopic microanalysis, and advancing understanding of mineral equilibria to estimate environmental conditions during dynamic recrystallization. Her work integrates geochemical and geochronological data to model heat, mass, and fluid flow along major fault systems. She has extensively published on fault systems in the Himalayas, Slovakia, and Turkey.She explores applications of AI and GIS-based spatial analysis to refine structural interpretations and better understand tectonic and geohazard processes. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation’s International and Tectonics Divisions.

Catlos has received numerous awards for her research, teaching, and service, including the Geological Society of America’s Young Scientist Award (Donath Medal), the Carolyn G. and G. Moses Knebel Teaching Award for Introductory Courses (2015, 2023), and the Texas Exes Teaching Award. She has also been recognized as an Outstanding Reviewer for Earth and Planetary Science Letters and the Geological Society of America Bulletin. She is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America.

From 2013 to 2017, Catlos served on the governing council of the Geological Society of America, contributing to policy development in areas such as publications, diversity, and public policy. She was Program Chair for the South Central Section Meeting in Austin in 2013 and organized the European Union-IN-TIME RISE Workshop on Geochronology and Mars Exploration in 2019.

In addition to her service to the GSA, Catlos has served as an ad hoc reviewer for numerous journals, textbooks, and funding agencies. She is on the Editorial Board for the journals Episodes and All Earth (Geodinamica Acta) and is editing a three-part book series for the American Geophysical Union on compressional, extensional, and strike-slip tectonics. Catlos has been a Lead Science Reviewer and served on Independent Review Teams for NASA, participating in multiple review panels.

At UT Austin, she is a member of the oversight committee for the Electron Microbeam Facility and serves on various departmental and school-wide committees. She actively engages in international programming on campus and is involved with the Fulbright Alumni Association, interviewing students applying for Fulbright and other study abroad programs.

Catlos earned her Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry with a Specialization in Earth Science from the University of California, San Diego, and a Ph.D. in Geochemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

Areas of Expertise

Please see https://catloslab.org/


Research Locations



Max Kade Distinguished Visiting Professor - Heidelberg University (2017 - 2017)

Carolyn G. and G. Moses Outstanding Teaching Award for Introductory Geoscience Course (GEO401) - UT Austin (2015)

Outstanding Reviewer, Earth and Planetary Science Letters - Elsevier (2015)

Notable Paper for Catlos (2013) "Generalizations about monazite: Implications for geochronologic studies" American Mineralogist - Mineralogical Society of America (2013)

Texas Exes Teaching Award - Texas Exes (2011)

Fulbright Lecturing Award - Fulbright (2008 - 2009)

Donald D. Harrington Fellowship - University of Texas at Austin (2007 - 2008)

Fellow of the Geological Society of America - Geological Society of America (2007)

Young Scientist Award (Donath Medal) - Geological Society of America (2006)

Junior Faculty Award - Oklahoma State University (2006)

Outstanding Reviewer - Geological Society of America Bulletin (2006)

Fellow - Institute for Geophysics and Planetary Physics (2000)

Predoctoral Fellowship - Smithsonian Institution (1997)

Summer Research Fellowship - NASA Specialized Center for Research and Training in Exobiology (1994)

Associate Editor, AGU Books, Wiley Publications (2020)

Associate Editor, Editorial Board, International Union of Geological Sciences, Episodes (2015)

Councilor/Chair, Arthur L. Day Medal Awards Committee, Geological Society of America (2015 - 2016)

Associate Editor/Editorial Board member, Geodinamica Acta: The European Journal of Geodynamics, Geodinamica Acta (2015)

Liaison, Student Advisory Council, Geological Society of America (2015 - 2017)

Member, Ad hoc committee focused on IIGs and Divisions, Geological Society of America (2015 - 2017)

Councilor/Conferee (Non-Voting), Diversity in the Geosciences Committee, Geological Society of America (2014 - 2017)

Councilor, Doris M.Curtis Memorial Fund for Women in Science Committee, Geological Society of America (2014 - 2016)

Liaison, Mineralogy, Geochemistry, Petrology, Volcanology Division, Geological Society of America (2014 - 2017)

Liaison, Structural Geology and Tectonics Division, Geological Society of America (2013 - 2017)

Elected Councilor, Geological Society of America Council, Geological Society of America (2013 - 2017)

Standing Review Board Member, Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer-Mass Spectrometer (MOMA-MS), Mars Program Office (MPO) Intake/Entrance Review, NASA (2013 - 2014)

Leader, Workshop for Early Career Geoscience Faculty, On the Cutting Edge (2013)

Reviewer, Review of the Faculty Activities Report electronic system, UT Austin (2013)

Reviewer, Selection Committee for Faculty-Led Programs for Summer Abroad, UT Austin (2013)

Chair, South Central Section Management Board, Geological Society of America (2013)

Presenter, Event to promote STEM education/careers for girls through Earth Science education, GirlTalk (2013)

Member-at-Large, Young Scientist Award Committee-Donath Medal, Geological Society of America (2012 - 2015)

Vice Chair, South Central Section Management Board, Geological Society of America (2012 - 2013)

Co-Chair, GSA Annual Meeting Session 207 Advances in Mineralogy and Petrology, Geological Society of America (2012)

Undergraduate Advisor, Dept. Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences (2012 - 2013)

Lead Science Instructor, 10th Grade Arizona GeoForce Field Trip, GeoForce (2012)

Reviewer, Committee to interview and mentor UT students applying for the Fulbright Study Abroad program, UT Austin (2012)

Undergraduate Advisor, Environmental Science program, Environmental Science Institute-Dept. Geol. Sciences (2012 - 2013)

Lead Science Instructor, 10th Grade Arizona GeoForce Field Trip, GeoForce (2011)

Reviewer, Committee to interview and mentor UT students applying for the Fulbright Study Abroad program, UT Austin (2011)

Panel Member, Mars Science Laboratory Participating Scientist Review, NASA (2011)

Independent Review Team Member, Independent Review of the MOMA - Laser Desorption Mass Spectrometer (LDMS), NASA (2010)

Invited participant, Workshop Planning Activity to highlight best practices that integrate across multiple dimensions of university internationalization, particularly in science and engineering areas, NSF-Office of International Science and Engineering (2010)

Expert Witness, 93rd Judicial District, Hidalgo Country, Texas, Griffith and Garza, L.L.P. (2010)

Panel Member, Astrobiology Science & Technology for Exploring Planets, NASA (2010)

Lead Science Instructor, 10th Grade Arizona GeoForce Field Trip, GeoForce (2010)

Reviewer, Committee to interview and mentor UT students applying for the Fulbright Study Abroad program, UT Austin (2010)

Board Member, South Central Section Management Board, Geological Society of America (2009)

Campus Representative, Campus Representative for the Fulbright Program for the University of Texas, Austin, Fulbright (2009)

Vice President, Austin Chapter of the Fulbright Alumni Association, Fulbright Alumni Association (2009)

Panel Member, Review of instruments Urey: Mars Organic and Oxidant Detector and Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA), NASA (2007)

Panel Member, Planetary Instrument Definition and Development Program, NASA (2007)

Co-Chair, Fall AGU Meeting, Extensional Tectonics in the Basin and Range Province of North America and the Aegean Region of Eastern Europe and Western Anatolia Session, American Geophysical Union (2007)

Co-Chair, GSA Annual Meeting Session T53 Teaching Instrumentation to Geoscience Students: Course Design, Objectives, and Presentations, Geological Society of America (2006)

Co-Chair, Fall AGU Meeting, Post-Collisional Extension Session, American Geophysical Union (2006)

Lead Science Reviewer, Planetary Instrument Definition and Development Program, NASA (2005)

Lead Science Reviewer, Mars Science Laboratory/Sample Analysis at Mars, NASA (2005)

Panel Member, Interdisciplinary Exploration Science Review, NASA (2005)

Co-Chair, Fall AGU Meeting, Extensional Tectonics and Metamorphic Core Complexes: Their Metamorphic, Petrographic, and Kinematic Evolution Session, American Geophysical Union (2005)

Co-Chair, GSA Annual Meeting Session T87 Recent Advances in Himalayan Geology, Geological Society of America (2004)

Panel Member, Mars Science Laboratory Panel, NASA (2004)

Panel Member, Mars Instrumentation and Development Panel, NASA (2003)

Panel Member, Tectonics Panel, National Science Foundation (2002)

Co-Chair, GSA Annual Meeting Session 6 Metamorphic Petrology I, Geological Society of America (2001)

Co-Chair, Fall AGU Meeting, Thermal Structure of Tibetan and Himalayan Lithosphere: Implications for Geodynamic Models of the India-Asia Collision Session, American Geophysical Union (1999)

I am interested in mentoring students at all levels, including undergraduate, Masters and PhD. Please feel free to contact me for more information.


Graduate Students

Sarah L O'Leary (Supervisor)

Thomas Etzel, Ph.D., 2020 (Supervisor)
Department of Geosciences, UT Austin

Andrew Parisi, M.S., 2018 (Supervisor)
Department of Geosciences, UT Austin

Kate Atakturk, M.S., 2014 (Supervisor)
Department of Geosciences, UT Austin
Kate's research focused on obtaining pressure-temperature conditions and ages from garnet-bearing rocks from the southern portion of the Menderes Massif in western Turkey. Her research included a field season in Turkey, and geochemical work at UT Austin. She is currently employed as a geologist by Hess Corporation.

Karen Black, M.S., 2012 (Supervisor)
Department of Geosciences
Karen Black completed her Master's Thesis in 2012 (Geochemical and Geochronological Relationships between Granitoid Plutons of the Biga Peninsula, NW Turkey). She conducted fieldwork in Turkey in 2011 and used the UCLA ion microprobe to date zircon grains in situ in the rocks. To understand the meaning of the ages, she used cathodoluminescence equipment in the Bureau of Economic Geology...

Kathryn Huber, M.S., 2011 (Supervisor)
Department of Geosciences
Katie completed her Master's Thesis in 2011, titled "Geochemistry and geochronology of meta-igneous rocks from the Tokat Massif, north-central Turkey." She collected highly-altered meta-igneous rocks from a region in north-central Turkey that records the closure of two ancient oceans. The goal of the research was to directly date the samples to determine their sources and ages, and to develop a...

Lauren Jacob, M.S., 2011 (Supervisor)
Department of Geosciences
Lauren graduated with her Master's degree in 2011. Her thesis is titled: "Remote Sensing, Geochemistry, Geochronology, and Cathodoluminescence Imaging of the Egrigoz, Koyunoba, and Alacam Plutons, Northern Menderes Massif, Turkey." She conducted fieldwork in the northern Menderes Massif in western Turkey in 2010, and dated zircons in the rocks using the UCLA ion microprobe. She spent the rest of that...

Courteney Baker, M.S., 2009 (Supervisor)
Oklahoma State University
Courteney was a student of mine when I was at Oklahoma State University and her thesis is titled: "Timing Extension in the Menderes Massif in Western Turkey Using Electron Microprobe, Ion Microprobe and Cathodoluminescence." She was also supervised by Dr. Anna Cruse. Her project involved dating monazite from two detachment-exhumed granites in western Turkey to determine the timing of extension...

Cenk Ozerdem, M.S., 2004 (Supervisor)
Oklahoma State University
Cenk was my graduate student when I was at Oklahoma State University. His thesis is titled: "Thermobarometric constraints on the Evolution of the Menderes Massif (western Turkey): Insights into the Metamorphic History of a Complexly-deformed Region." He generated peak pressures and temperatures from garnet-bearing rocks collected from a large-scale metamorphic core complex in western Turkey to understand the tectonic history...


Undergraduate Students

2017 Xiafei Zhao, Tyler Fu, Theresa Perez
2016 Emily Pease, Zoe Yin, Ashley Zare, Saloni Tandon
2015 Enrique Reyes, Kimberly Aguilera, Stephanie Suarez, Daniel Lizzardo-McPherson
2014 Colin Sturrock, Bridget Pettit, Chelsea H Jones
2013 Pamela Speciale, Isis Garber
2012 Lindsey German, Abby Kenigsbergh, Tyson McKinney
2011 Tim Shin, Heather Flynn

Undergraduate Student Funding
Geological Society of America South Central Section Undergraduate Research Grants ($1,300 total): Kimberly Aguilera ($500); Stephanie Suarez ($500), Daniel Lizzardo-McPherson ($300)
UT Austin Undergraduate Research Fellowships with match from the Jackson School ($2000 each, 7 total, Total Amount: $14,000): 2016: Emily Pease, 2015: Colin Sturrock, 2014, Bridget Pettit, Colin Sturrock, Abby Kenigsberg; 2012: Lindsey German, Pamela Speciale, 2010: Tim Shin

Undergraduate Peer-reviewed publications
Suarez, S., Brookfield, M., Catlos, E.J., Stockli, D. (2017). A U-Pb zircon age constraint on the oldest-recorded air-breathing land animal. PLoS One 12 (6), e0179262.
Sturrock, C.P., Catlos, E.J., Miller, N.R., Akgun, A., Fall, A., Gabtov, R., Yilmaz, I.O, Larson, T. Black, K. (2017) Fluids along the North Anatolian Fault, Niksar Basin, north central Turkey: Insight from stable isotopic and geochemical analysis of calcite veins. Journal of Structural Geology, 101, 58-79.
Catlos, E.J., Reyes, Eu., Brookfield, M., Stockli, D.F. (2016) Age and Emplacement of the Permian-Jurassic Menghai Batholith, Western Yunnan, China. International Geology Review, p. 1-27. dx.doi.org/10.1080/00206814.2016.1237312
Speciale, P.u, Catlos, E.J., Yildiz, G.O., Shin, T.A., Black, K.N. (2014) Zircon Ages of the Beypazari Granitoid Pluton (North Central Turkey): Tectonic Implications. Geodinamica Acta. DOI: 10.1080/09853111.2013.858955
Shin, T.A.u, Catlos, E.J., Jacob, L.g, Black, K.g (2013) Relationships between very high pressure subduction complex assemblages and intrusive granitoids in the Tav?anl? Zone, Sivrihisar Massif, central Anatolia. Tectonophysics, 595-596:183-197. DOI: 10.1016/j.tecto.2012.07.012.


New insights into the uplift of the Himalayas through advances in metamorphic petrology, Heidelberg University, Institute of Earth Sciences, Heidelberg, Germany (2017)

New insights into the uplift of the Himalayas through advances in metamorphic petrology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Dept. Earth and Environmental Sciences, Munich, Germany (2017)

Response to slab roll-back: Revealing the geodynamic history of western Turkey from the Biga Peninsula to the Menderes Massif, Geological Society of America 2016 GSA Topical Session, Denver, Colorado (2016)

Timing subduction processes via in situ (in thin section) zircon and baddeleyite geochronology: Examples from northern Turkey, Geological Society of America 2015 GSA Topical Session, Baltimore, Maryland (2015)

Invited Seminar, Louisiana State University, Dept. Geological Sciences, (2013)

Invited Seminar, Undergraduate Geological Society, UT Austin, Dept. Geological Sciences, (2011)

Invited Seminar, Pennsylvania State University, Geosciences Department (departmental talk), (2010)

Invited Seminar, Pennsylvania NASA Space Grant Consortium (general talk to broader community), (2010)

Invited Seminar, University of Arkansas, Department of Geology, (2008)

Invited Seminar, Texas Earth Science Revolution program, Austin, TX (2008)

Invited Seminar, Yale University, Department of Geology and Geophysics, (2007)

Invited Seminar, University of Michigan, Department of Geological Sciences, (2007)

Invited Seminar, UT Austin Jackson School of Earth Sciences, (2007)

Invited Seminar, Virginia Tech., Blacksburg, Department of Geosciences, (2006)

Invited Seminar, San Francisco State University, Department of Geology, (2005)

Invited Seminar, University of Houston, Department of Geosciences, (2005)

Invited Seminar, University of Missouri-Columbia, Dept. of Geological Sciences, (2005)

Invited Seminar, Utah State University, Department of Geology, (2004)

Invited Seminar, University of Kansas, Department of Geology, (2004)

Invited Seminar, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Department of Geosciences, (2004)

Invited Seminar, UT Dallas, Department of Geosciences, (2004)

Invited Seminar, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Department of Geology Seminar Series, (2003)

Invited Seminar, UT Austin, Jackson School of Earth Sciences, (2003)

Invited Seminar, Arkansas-Oklahoma Center for Space and Planetary Sciences, (2002)

Invited Seminar, Oklahoma State University-Phillips Petroleum, Electron Microprobe Presentation, (2002)

Invited Seminar, Kansas State University, Department of Geology, (2002)

Invited Seminar, University of Kansas, Department of Geology, (2002)

Invited Seminar, University of Oklahoma, School of Geology and Geophysics, (2002)

Invited Seminar, University of California, Riverside, Dept. of Earth Science, (2001)

Invited Seminar, Florida State University; Dept. Geological Sciences; 2 talks, (2001)

Invited Seminar, Oklahoma State University; Boone Pickens School of Geology, (2001)

YearSemesterCourse
2024Spring GEO 302N Geology Of National Parks
2023Fall GEO 302N Geology Of National Parks
2023Fall GEO 302Q Gems And Gem Minerals
2023Fall GEO 347K Gems And Gem Minerals
2023Spring GEO 302N Geology Of National Parks
2023Spring GEO 341F Microst And Rock Rheology
2022Fall GEO 302N Geology Of National Parks
2022Fall GEO 302Q Gems And Gem Minerals
2022Spring GEO 302N Geology Of National Parks
2022Spring GEO 341F Microst And Rock Rheology
2022Spring GEO 381F Microstructrs/Rock Rheology
2021Fall GEO 302N Geology Of National Parks
2021Spring GEO 302N Geology Of National Parks-Wb
2021Spring GEO 390R Anly Meth: Elec-Microbeam Tech
2021Spring GEO 193 Technical Lecture Series
2021Spring GEO 193 Technical Lecture Series-Wb
2020Fall GEO 302N Geology Of National Parks-Wb
2020Fall GEO 416K Earth Materials
2020Fall GEO 416K Earth Materials-Wb
2020Fall GEO 193 Technical Lecture Series-Wb
2020Spring GEO 401 Physical Geology
2020Spring GEO 193 Technical Lecture Series
2019Fall GEO 193 Technical Lecture Series
2019Fall GEO 302K Geology Of National Parks
2019Spring GEO 193 Technical Lecture Series
2018Fall GEO 416K Earth Materials
2018Fall GEO 391 Thermodynamics Petrologic Sys
2018Fall GEO 193 Technical Lecture Series
2018Spring GEO 193 Technical Lecture Series
2018Spring GEO 394 Rsch In Geological Sciences
2018Spring GEO 401 Physical Geology
2018Spring GEO 171T International Learning Seminar
2017Fall GEO 193 Technical Lecture Series
2017Fall GEO 394 Rsch In Geological Sciences
2017Summer GEO f401 Physical Geology
2017Spring GEO 386 Metamorphic Petrology
2017Spring GEO 193 Technical Lecture Series
2017Spring GEO 394 Rsch In Geological Sciences
2016Fall GEO 193 Technical Lecture Series
2016Fall GEO 394 Rsch In Geological Sciences
2016Fall GEO 416K Earth Materials
2016Spring GEO 401 Physical Geology
2016Spring GEO 171T International Learning Seminar
2016Spring GEO 193 Technical Sessions
2015Spring GEO 401 Physical Geology
2015Spring GEO 386 Metamorphic Petrology
2014Fall GEO 416K Earth Materials
2014Spring GEO 401 Physical Geology