Sharon Mosher
Sharon Mosher was Dean of the Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin from 2009 to 2020. She was a professor and holder of the William Stamps Farish Chair and a faculty member at the university from 1978 until her retirement in 2021. Dr. Mosher's expertise is in structural geology, structural petrology, and tectonics. Her primary research interests are in deformation along plate boundaries, the evolution of complexly deformed terranes, strain analysis, deformation mechanisms, and the interaction between chemical and physical processes during deformation. She has supervised 18 Ph.D., 35 M.S. and 9 Undergraduate Honors students and 3 postdoctoral fellows. She was field camp director for 15 years. She was chair of the Department of Geological Sciences from 2007-2009. Mosher received her Ph.D. in Geological Sciences from the University of Illinois at Urbana in 1978, M.Sc. from Brown University in 1975, and B.S. from the University of Illinois at Urbana in 1973. She is currently holds emeritus positions as dean, professor and William Stamps Farish Chair.
Mosher was President of the American Geoscience Institute (AGI) in 2012-13, President of the Geological Society of America (GSA) in 2000-2001, and 2004 Chair of the Council of Scientific Society Presidents, an organization representing ~1.5 million scientists nationwide. She is a founder and past chair of the board for GeoScienceWorld, an international journal aggregation for geoscientists. She is an active member in many geoscientific societies including GSA, the American Geophysical Union (AGU), and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG). She is a fellow of the Geological Society of America, from which she received the Distinguished Service Award in 2003, an honorary fellow of the Geological Society of London, and recipient of the Association of Women Geologists Outstanding Educator Award (1990). In 2016 she was awarded the Alumni Achievement Award from her alma mater, the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana. In 2020 she was awarded the Marcus Milling Legendary Geoscientist Medal from the American Geoscience Institute. In 2023 she was inducted into the Jackson School of Geosciences Hall of Distinction.
Areas of Expertise
Structural petrology, field-oriented structural geology, the evolution of complexly deformed terranes, strain analysis, deformation mechanisms, the interaction between chemical and physical processes during deformation
Hall of Distinction Award - Jackson School of Geosicneces, University of Texas at Austin (2023)
William B. Heroy Jr. Award for Distinguished Service - American Geoscience Institute (2022)
Visionary Leadership Award - Council of Scientific Society Presidents (2021)
Marcus Milling Legendary Geoscientist Medal - American Geosciences Institute (2020)
Alumni Achievement Award - University of Illinois at Urbana, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (2016)
GeoScienceWorld, Invaluable Service Award - GeoScienceWorld (2015)
Honorary Lifetime Fellow - Geological Society of London (2008)
Distinguished Service Award - Geological Society of America (2003)
Alumni Achievement Award - University of Illinois Department of Geological Sciences (2001)
Geological Society of America President (2001)
Outstanding Educator Award - Association of Women Geologists (1990)
Geological Society of America Fellow (1989)
Outstanding Junior Faculty Award - ARCO (1981)
Skills and competencies for the future geoscience workforce, Union Session: American Geophysical Union Fall meeting, (2023)
Preparing Geoscience Undergraduate Students for the Future Workforce, Geological Society of America Annual meeting, (2022)
Undergraduate Geoscience Education, National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, Roundtable on Systemic Change in Undergraduate STEM Education, (2021)
Vision & Change in the Geosciences: The Future of Undergraduate Geoscience Education, Earth System Science Workshop on Education and Workforce, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Committee on Advancing a Systems Approach to Studying the Earth: A Strategy for the National Science Foundation, (2021)
Preparing the Geoscientist Workforce of the Future: Undergraduate & Graduate Geoscience Education, University of Utah, Earth Science: New Map Forum, (2020)
Vision & Change in the Geosciences: The Future of Undergraduate Geoscience Education, Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, (2020)
Preparing the Geoscientist Workforce of the Future: Undergraduate & Graduate Geoscience Education, Keynote address, Interactive Panel Geoscientist Workforce of the Future: Education and ReTooling, American Association of Petroleum Geologists Annual Meeting, (2020)
The Geoscience Workforce:The Future of Undergraduate Geoscience Education, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Committee on Advancing a Systems Approach to Studying the Earth: A Strategy for the National Science Foundation, (2020)
Broadening diversity and inclusiveness in a quantitative, computational world, Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics, Advancing Our Understanding of Earth Dynamics in CIG IV, (2020)
Preparing undergraduate geoscience majors for successful careers in a quantitative world, National Academies Committee on Seismology and Geodynamics, (2020)
Importance of U.S. marine geophysical research vessels, NSF meeting on Future of Marine Seismic Capabilities, (2019)
Increasing and Sustaining Diversity in the Geosciences, National Academies CORES committee on Catalyzing Opportunities for Research in the Earth Sciences, (2019)
Universal Skills for Geoscience Graduate Student Success in the Workforce, AGU/AGI Webinar, (2019)
Culture Change in Departments for the Future of Geoscience Education, Pardee Symposium, Geological Society of America Annual meeting, (2019)
A view of the landscape for improving geoscience education: Challenges & Opportunities, Keynote address, SERC/NAGT Geoscience Infrastructure meeting, (2019)
Role of Universities in 21st Century Global Earth Challenges, Keynnote speaker: Inaugural Symposium and Masri Building Dedication for Masri Institute, American University of Beirut, (2018)
Preparing Students for the Future Geoscience Workforce, Keynote address, South Central Geological Society of America meeting, (2017)
Preparing students for the future geoscience workforce, National Science Foundation Advisory Committee, (2017)
Outcomes and Next Steps: Geoscience Workforce and the Future of Undergraduate Geoscience Education, AGU/AGI Webinar, (2016)
Universal Skills needed for Graduate Student Success in Diverse Geoscience Professions, Geological Society of America Annual meeting, (2016)
The Changing World of Geoscience: Research, Education & the Workforce, University of Illinois at Urbana, (2016)
NSF-Sponsored Summit on the Future of Undergraduate Geoscience Education outcomes, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, (2015)
Geoscience Workforce and the Future of Undergraduate Geoscience Education, AGU/AGI Webinar, (2015)
Preparing geoscience students for successful careers, Geological Society of America Annual meeting, (2015)
Universal skills and competencies for geoscientists, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, (2015)
Summit on the Future of Undergraduate Geoscience Education, AGU/AGI Webinar, (2014)
From core to atmosphere and planets beyond: Research and Education at the Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, (2013)
Building a Diverse & Sustainable Geoscience Workforce, AAPG Annual Meeting, (2012)
Balancing Research and Education in a Research University Environment, Special session on The Interaction Between Academia and Industry, Society of Exploration Geophysicists, (2010)
Future of Information Behaviors, Keynote speaker, Geoscience Information Society, Geological Society of America Annual meeting, (2008)
Deformation from the Bottom up a Case for Biaxial Extension, Geological Society of America Annual meeting, (2008)
Future of Science and Role of Natural History Museums, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Keynote speaker, (2005)
"Collisional Model for a Grenville-aged orogenic belt: Llano Uplift, central Texas, in Symposium on Proterozoic Growth and Evolution of Southern Laurentia", South Central section of the Geological Society of America, to be entered (2005)
"E Pluribus Unum", Council of Scientific Society Presidents meeting, to be entered (2004)
"Leading in Difficult Times", Council of Scientific Society Presidents meeting, to be entered (2004)
"Associations at the Crossroads", Council of Scientific Society Presidents meeting, to be entered (2003)
"GeoScienceWorld: a multi-society aggregation of geoscience electronic journals", Geological Society of America Annual meeting, Topical Session: Geoscience Information Horizons: Challenges, Choices and Decisions, to be entered (2003)
"Growing Membership through Change", Council of Scientific Society Presidents meeting, to be entered (2002)
"Tectonic evolution of the western Llano Uplift, central Texas: a record of Grenville orogenesis along the southern Laurentian margin", Symposium on New Perspectives on the Grenville Orogeny in the United States and Canada: in Honor of Jim McLelland, Northeastern section of the Geological Society of America, to be entered (2002)
"Grenville orogenesis along the southern Laurentian margin: contrasts between the eastern and western Llano Uplift, central Texas", Symposium on Precambrian Geology of Southern Laurentia, South-central section of the Geological Society of America, to be entered (2002)
"Tectonic evolution of the eastern Llano uplift, central Texas: a record of Grenville orogenesis along the southern Laurentian margin", Topical Session on New Topics in Grenville Tectonics: a new look at some old rocks, Fall, Geological Society of America Annual meeting, to be entered (2001)
"Plate Boundaries to Politics: Pursuing Passions in Science", Geological Society of America Presidential Address, to be entered (2001)
"Strain accommodation along the Macquarie ridge complex: transition from transtension to transpression along an active plate boundary", Fault zone evolution and convergent tectonics: a symposium in honor of Rolfe Stanley, Geological Society of America, Northeastern Section meeting, to be entered (2001)
"GSA/AAPG's Grand Challenge for the 21st Century: a friendly merger?", Keynote address, Cordilleran section of the Geological Society of America and the Pacific section of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, to be entered (2001)
"The extension of the Precambrian mid-continent Granite-Rhyolite terrane into Texas", Symposium titled: Probing the Precambrian in the Midwest: Reconciling Geological, Geochemical and Geophysical Observations, North-central section of the Geological Society of America, to be entered (2001)
"Mesoproterozoic tectonic evolution of Texas prior to the Grenville orogeny", Symposium on Mesoproterozoic tectonics of the southwestern United States, South-central and Rocky Mountain section of the Geological Society of America, to be entered (2001)
"Macquarie Ridge Complex: evolution of the Australian-Pacific plate boundary from a divergent to transform margin", University of Illinois at Urbana, Illinois (2001)
"Macquarie Ridge Complex: evolution of the Australian-Pacific plate boundary from a divergent to transform margin", University of Missouri at Columbia, Missouri (2000)
"Mesoproterozoic accretion along the Laurentian margin, Llano Uplift, central Texas", 31st International Geologic Congress, Rio de Janeiro, invited keynote speaker in Special Symposia - Accretion Tectonics of North America, to be entered (2000)
"Tectonic evolution of the southern Laurentian margin", Northern Arizona University, Arizona (2000)
"The view from Llano", DOSECC-Sponsored Workshop, March 1999, AAPG Annual Meeting, San Antonio, invited overview presentation, San Antonio, Texas (1999)
"The Texas Grenville Orogen", Keynote address for Symposium on "Proterozoic and early Paleozoic magmatism", South Central Section Meeting, Lubbock, Texas (1999)
"Grenville orogenesis along the southern margin of Laurentia, Llano Uplift, central Texas", University of Kansas, Kansas (1997)
"Grenville orogenesis along the southern margin of Laurentia, Llano Uplift, central Texas", COPENA-ECSOOT-IBTA conference, Goose Bay, Labrador (1996)
"Grenville orogenesis along the southern margin of Laurentia, Llano Uplift, central Texas", University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, Texas (1996)
"Grenville orogenesis along the southern margin of Laurentia, Llano Uplift, central Texas", University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas (1996)
"Evolution of Grenville Tectonic Provinces, Southeastern Llano Uplift, Central Texas", 12th International Conference on Basement Tectonics '95, International Basement Tectonics Association, Norman OK (1995)
"Evolution of Texas Basement" , University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma (1994)
"Tectonic evolution of Grenville-age crust, Llano Uplift, central Texas", Texas Tech, to be entered (1994)
"Structural evolution of the Tuscan Nappe, Northern Apennines, Italy and the effect of fluids on deformation mechanisms" , Institute for Geophysics, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas (1993)
"The Texas Grenville orogenic belt" , Symposium on Early, Middle and Late Proterozoic Tectonic Evolution of Southwestern North America, Rocky Mountain/South-central GSA meeting, to be entered (1991)
"The Texas Grenville Orogeny", University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas (1990)
"Proterozoic evolution of the Llano Uplift, Central Texas" , Symposium on Structure, Tectonics and Geophysics of the Southern Margin of North America, GSA Annual meeting, Dallas, Texas (1990)
"The southern collisional margin of the Precambrian North American Craton: the Texas Grenville orogenic belt", ", Symposium on Southern Mid-continent-Texas Craton Transects, South-central GSA, to be entered (1990)
"The diachronous effects of the Alleghanian orogeny in southeastern New England", Symposium on Along Strike Variations in the Nature of the Alleghanian Orogeny. NE GSA meeting, to be entered (1990)
"Structural evolution of the Tuscan nappe, Northern Apennines, Italy", Rice University, to be entered (1990)
"The Grenville (Llano) Orogeny-Texas style", Symposium on "Stratigraphic and structural analyses of mountain belts", Northeastern GSA regional meeting, to be entered (1988)
"Late-stage Alleghanian wrenching of the western Narragansett Basin, RI", Symposium on "Bedrock geology of Coastal New England and New Brunswick east of the Kearsarge-Central Maine synclinorium", to be entered (1988)
"Structural evolution of the Tuscan nappe, Northern Apennines, Italy", Texas A&M University, Texas (1987)
"Structural evolution of the Tuscan nappe, Northern Apennines, Italy", Southern Methodist University, to be entered (1987)
"Structural evolution of the Tuscan nappe, Northern Apennines, Italy", Institute of Geophysics, to be entered (1987)
"Kinematic history of the Narragansett Basin, Massachusetts and Rhode Island: Constraints on Late Paleozoic plate reconstructions", University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA (1987)
"Alleghanian deformation in southeastern England", Exxon Production Research, to be entered (1985)
"Paleoenvironmental and tectonic controls on coal forming basins in southeastern New England", Symposium on "Paleoenvironmental and tectonic controls on coal forming basins in the U.S.A.", GSA Annual Meeting, Reno, NV (1984)
"Permian deformation and metamorphism in southeastern New England, Symposium on "Avalon terranes in the Northern Appalachians: the effect of the Alleghanian orogeny upon the Avalonian geology of southeastern New England", Northeastern GSA regional meeting, Providence, RI (1984)
"Alleghanian deformation in southeastern England", University of Southern California, California (1984)
"Kinematic history of the Narragansett Basin, Massachusetts and Rhode Island: Constraints on Late Paleozoic plate reconstructions", University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma (1983)
"Alleghanian deformation in southeastern England", Institute of Geophysics, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas (1983)
"Alleghanian deformation in southeastern England", , University of Texas at El Paso , El Paso, Texas (1981)
"Shear zones: a review of current studies", GSA Centennial Symposium on "Frontiers in Structural Geology", (1981)
."Pressure solution as a deformation mechanism for conglomerates from Rhode Island", Southern Methodist University, (1981)
"Pressure solution as a deformation mechanism for conglomerates from Rhode Island", Boston University, Moston, MA (1981)
"Pressure solution as a deformation mechanism for conglomerates from Rhode Island", Penrose Conference on Pressure Solution, New Paltz, New York (1980)
"Pressure solution as a deformation mechanism for conglomerates from Rhode Island", University of Oregon, Oregon (1979)
"Pressure solution as a deformation mechanism for conglomerates from Rhode Island", University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, Texas (1979)
"Pressure solution as a deformation mechanism for conglomerates from Rhode Island", University of Houston, Houston, Texas (1978)
"Pressure solution as a deformation mechanism for conglomerates from Rhode Island", University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas (1978)
"Pressure solution as a deformation mechanism for conglomerates from Rhode Island", University of Illinois at Urbana, Illinois (1978)
"Pressure solution and conglomerate deformation in Rhode Island", , GSA Northeastern regional meeting,, Boston, MA (1978)
"Pressure solution as a deformation mechanism for conglomerates from Rhode Island", Indiana University, Indiana (1977)
"Alleghanian deformation mechanisms in southwestern New England", Conference on Paleozoic Continental Margins, St. John, New Brunswick (1975)
| Year | Semester | Course | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Spring | GEO 381C | Structural Petrology |
| 2017 | Fall | GEO 298T | Supervised Teaching In Geo Sci |
| 2016 | Fall | GEO 298T | Supervised Teaching In Geo Sci |
| 2015 | Fall | GEO 298T | Supervised Teaching In Geo Sci |
| 2014 | Fall | GEO 298T | Supervised Teaching In Geo Sci |