His research links sedimentation, flow in porous media, and deformation in study of the dynamic behavior of continental margins. He received his B.A. degree from Dartmouth College, and both an M.S. degree and Ph.D. in geology from Cornell University. Before joining Penn State, he was an associate research scientist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University and the Crosby Distinguished Lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. <>