Coordinates

Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, MC100-23
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA 91125
Office phone: 626-395-6445
Lab phone: 626-395-6643
Fax: 626-683-0621
email: Sessions@its.Caltech.edu

Isotopic biogeochemistry and organic geochemistry, including: biogeochemistry of marine sediments and the deep subsurface; controls on the distribution of hydrogen isotopes in lipids, sedimentary organic matter and petroleum; biomarker and isotopic records of the Neoproterozoic. Also, the development and application of novel isotopic analytical methods for biogeochemistry, such as compound-specific analysis of ³⁴S in volatile organics, and the analysis of ¹³C in whole cells sorted by flow cytometry.

Education

Ph.D. in geochemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington IN, July 2001
M.Sc. in geochemistry, Dartmouth College, Hanover NH, May 1996
B.A. in geology, Williams College, Williamstown MA, June 1991

Professional Experience

• Assistant Professor, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena CA. Research and teaching. August 2003 – present.
• Postdoctoral Investigator, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole MA. research with Dr. John Hayes. July 2001 - June 2003.
• Research Assistant, Indiana University, Bloomington IN. research with Dr. John Hayes. September 1996 - July 2001.
• Geologist, Rizzo Associates Inc., Natick MA. Evaluation and remediation of hazardous waste sites. June 1991 - July 1993 and July 1995 - July 1996.

Field Experience

• July, 2007. Seven days on the R/V Robert Gordon Sproul in the northeastern Pacific.
• March, 2007. Ten days in South China sampling Neoproterozoic sediments of the Nanhua Basin.
• June, 2004. Ten days on the R/V New Horizon in the California Borderland Basins.
• June, 1994. Three weeks in Connemara, Ireland studying early Paleozoic metasediments.
• August, 1990. Six weeks in western Wyoming and central Montana, geology field camp.
• July, 1990. Four weeks in western Virginia studying structural history of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Professional Organizations

Geochemical Society, Organic Geochemistry Division
American Geophysical Union
Geological Society of America
American Chemical Society

Publications

A complete list of publications, and a partial list of presentations, are available.

Personal

Born in 1969, I grew up in the Shenandoah Valley, nestled between the Blue Ridge and Alleghany Mountains of western Virginia. Chris Reddy thinks this may explain my penchant for bluegrass and flannel. After spending most of the past 16 years in New England, I now reside in Pasadena, CA with my wife Karen our children Stuart and Amy. My hobbies include mountain biking, hiking and camping, photography, woodworking, and the occasional fishing trip.