Philip C Bennett

Philip C Bennett
Professor Emeritus, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences


Dr. Philip Bennett teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in aqueous geochemistry, hydrogeology, and geomicrobiology. Dr. Bennett's research is primarily in the areas of microbial geochemistry, geomicrobiology, and geochemical kinetics. He is particularly interested in the link between microbes and minerals, and examining the role of minerals and mineral-bound nutrients in subsurface microbial ecology and the role of microbes in rock weathering.

Areas of Expertise

Aqueous geochemistry, geomicrobiology, environmental and microbial geochemistry, hydrogeology


Research Locations



Evelyn and Moses E. Knebel Distinguished Teaching Award - The University of Texas (2012)

Henry Darcy Distinguished Lecturer - National Ground Water Association (1997)

Faculty Excellence Award - Houston Oil and Minerals Corporation (1994)

Fellow - Geological Society of America (1994)

Jackson Centennial Teaching Fellowship in Geological Sciences - The University of Texas at Austin (1993)

Syracuse University Graduate School Marshall - Syracuse University (1989)

NSF Review Panel, Nanotechnology in Research and Technology, (2005)

NRC Ad Hoc Committee , Geology and Public Health, (2004 - 2005)

NIEHS Review Panel, (2003)

NSF Review Panel, EAR-GE program, (1999 - 2003)

NSF Review Panel, Life in Extreme Environments program, (1999)

Associate Editor, J. Hydrology, (1997)

Associate Editor, GSA Bulletin, (1995)

Editorial Board, Ground Water, (1995 - 2003)

Editorial Board, Geology, (1994 - 1997)

to be entered,

Graduate Students

Alison Tune, Ph.D., 2021 (Co-supervisor)
Jackson School of Geosciences

Heather Christenson, M.S., 2020 (Supervisor)

John Warden, Ph.D., 2016 (Supervisor)

Aaron Jones, Ph.D., 2015 (Supervisor)

Kim Gilbert, Ph.D., 2015 (Supervisor)

Eugenio Santillan, Ph.D., 2014 (Supervisor)
University of Texas at Austin

Lindsey Sydow, M.S., 2013 (Supervisor)

Kim Meyers (Supervisor)


Role of microorganisms in karstification, Society for General Microbiology, (2005)

Methods for Investigating Microbial-Mineral Interactions, Clay Mineral Society Workshop, (2004)

, William Smith Conference, The Geological Society, (2002)

, The International Symposium on Groundwater Contamination, Tokyo, Japan (2000)

, Virginia Tech etc., (2000)

, Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental Science and Technology, (1999)

, XIVth Intl. Symposium on Environmental Biogeochemistry, (1999)

, University of Wisconsin, (1999)

Modeling Flow in Permeable Materials, Gordon Research Conference, (1998)

Bacterially mediated silicate diagenesis, Goldschmidt Conference, Toulouse France, (1998)

, University of New Mexico, (1998)

, Duke University, (1996)

Contaminant Organic Geochemistry, GSA Annual Meeting, (1995)

Geologic significance of microbial processes, GSA Annual Meeting, (1994)

, University of Michigan, (1992)

, Southern Methodist University, (1992)

, Texas A&M University, (1991)

, IAH Water-2000, Cape Town, South Africa

YearSemesterCourse
2022Spring GEO 191 Proposal Writing
2022Spring GEO 387C Aqueous Geochemistry
2022Spring GEO 476M Aqueous Geochemistry
2021Spring GEO 191 Proposal Writing-Wb
2021Spring GEO 387C Aqueous Geochemistry-Wb
2021Spring GEO 476M Aqueous Geochemistry-Wb
2020Fall GEO 381G Geomicrobiology-Wb
2018Spring GEO 387C Aqueous Geochemistry
2018Spring GEO 476M Aqueous Geochemistry
2017Fall GEO 346C Intro Physcl/Chem Hydrogeology
2017Fall GEO 394 Rsch In Geological Sciences
2017Fall GEO 387E Environmental Organic Geochem
2017Fall GEO 145E Professional Ethics In Geosci
2017Spring GEO 387C Aqueous Geochemistry
2017Spring GEO 476M Aqueous Geochemistry
2016Fall GEO 394 Rsch In Geological Sciences
2016Fall GEO 381G Geomicrobiology
2016Spring GEO 387C Chemical Hydrogeology
2016Spring GEO 476M Chemical Hydrogeology
2015Fall GEO 381G Geomicrobiology
2015Summer GEO f382C Groundwater Field Methods
2015Summer GEO f376L Field Meths In Groundwtr Hydrl
2015Spring GEO 476M Chemical Hydrogeology
2015Spring GEO 387C Chemical Hydrogeology