Faculty and Staff

ABOUT

Meet our “rock stars”

When you study geology at SFA, you’ll work side-by-side with experienced faculty and staff members who truly love teaching, research and sharing their passion for geology. Collaborate with our knowledgeable and caring faculty members on research projects and participate in studies and field work that help you develop a better understanding of the Earth’s past, present and future. 

Dr. Wesley Brown

Dr. Brown was born and raised on the island of Jamaica. He earned his B.S. degree in geology from the University of the West Indies and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in geophysics from the University of Texas at El Paso.

Dr. Brown’s research interests include earthquake seismology and environmental geophysics. He teaches undergraduate courses in geophysics, physical geology, historical geology, engineering geology and graduate courses in seismic and non-seismic methods. He is a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the American Geophysical Union, the Society of Exploration Geologists and the Seismological Society of America.

Dr. Melinda Faulkner

Dr. Faulkner joined SFA’s Department of Geology in 2005 after completing her BS and MS in environmental geology from SFA. In 2016, she completed her PhD in forestry at SFA and was appointed to the graduate faculty. Faulkner’s primary research interests include the geologic controls on the spatial distribution of natural resources in the earth’s crust, integrating the study of geoscience, hydrogeology, geochemistry and ecological systems. Her current research has focused on the various ways to characterize geologic and geochemical phenomena using a complement of field methods, instrumentation and remote sensing techniques. Recent work by Faulkner has been in the unique geochemistry of the mineral assemblages in East Texas and Central Arkansas and in concert with graduate students in karst terrains of Central Texas and the Caddo Lake watershed.

Dr. R. LaRell Nielson

Dr. Neilson is the faculty advisor for SFA’s Geologic Student Association and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists Student Chapter. He holds a BS and an MS from Brigham Young University and a PhD from the University of Utah. His research interests include stratigraphy, sedimentology, paleontology, and geomorphology.

Kevin Stafford

Dr. Stafford’s research interests include cave and karst studies, particularly void formation, geohazards, mineral resources and remote sensing. He teaches historical geology, hydrology, and mineralogy, as well as graduate courses in hydrogeology and sedimentology. Dr. Stafford holds a BS in geology from The University of Texas at Austin, an MS in geoscience from Mississippi State University and a PhD in geology from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.

Dr. Liane Stevens

Dr. Stevens is a metamorphic geologist who uses petrology, petrography, ductile structure, thermodynamic modeling and geochronology to unravel the history of Earth’s deep crust. Born and raised on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, she holds a bachelor’s degree in geology and geosciences from Wellesley College, a master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a doctoral degree from the University of Montana.

Her current research focuses on metamorphic and igneous rocks in the Llano Uplift in the Texas Hill Country. She teaches undergraduate courses on mineralogy, petrology (igneous and metamorphic), structural geology, plate tectonics, geoanalytical methods, geochronology, physical geology and regional weekend field trips. Her graduate courses include Geoanalytical Methods, Geochronology and Metamorphic Basement Geology.

Wesley Turner

Wesley Turner earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in geology from SFA. He is the lab coordinator for the introductory geology courses and oversees graduate teaching assistant positions in the department. His research interests include sequence stratigraphy, petroleum geology and planetary geology. He is a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the Society for Sedimentary Geology and the Geological Society of America.

Shana Scott

Shana Scott holds two Bachelor of Business Administration degrees in general business and accounting from SFA and has been keeping the geology department running smoothly since September 2001. She is currently pursuing her master’s in professional accountancy at SFA. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her three cats, Jumper, Buddy and Spot. Scott is also a licensed massage therapist and outdoors enthusiast who enjoys spending time in the piney woods of East Texas.

Dr. Michael Read

Dr. Read is a micropaleontologist with research interests in Pennsylvanian and Permian fusulinids (large benthic foraminifera) and conodonts (jawless marine chordates). His recent work is primarily concerned with integrated biostratigraphy of the North American cordillera. Read holds a BS in geology and a PhD in earth and environmental sciences from the University of Texas at Arlington. He teaches Introductory Geology, Historical Geology, Oceanography, Invertebrate Paleontology and the Texas Hill Country Field Trip.

Dr. Jenny Rashall

Dr. Rashall joined SFA in Spring 2020 as an adjunct faculty member and has continued to work with the Department of Geology as a visiting assistant professor. She received both her BS in geology and her PhD in earth and environmental sciences from the University of Texas at Arlington. In her research, Rashall focuses on mid-Cretaceous foraminiferal populations, particularly from the Western Interior Seaway, for biostratigraphic correlation and paleoenvironmental interpretation. She teaches Fundamentals of Earth Science, Introductory Geology and the Texas Hill Country Field Trip.

Dr. Julie Bloxson

Dr. Julie Bloxson joined SFA in fall 2018 as an assistant professor. She received her B.S. in geology from the University of Akron, where she focused her undergraduate research on core analysis of tidal rythmite deposits associated with Pennsylvanian coal seams within the Appalachian Basin. She received her M.S. in geology from Kent State University, studying the Grimbsy Sandstone/”Clinton Sands” in eastern Ohio. She received her Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University, focusing on the Utica Shale and controls on deposition. Bloxson continued this work at the Ohio Geological Survey, working within the Energy Group on various subsurface mapping projects that focused on salt deposits, carbon sequestration and unconventional resources.

She heads the East Texas Core Repository at the Science Research Center where she is creating the Black Shale Research Facility. This facility will help to expand non-destructive core analysis and continue to correlate core data to well log data for better subsurface analysis for natural resources and energy-related issues. Her goal for the facility is to allow students to gain necessary skills for industry and research and to facilitate a connection between local industry and academia for future research.