Nelia Dunbar

Nelia a geochemist and director of the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, serving as state geologist in New Mexico. Previously, she managed the Cameca SX-100 electron microprobe laboratory at New Mexico Tech. She completed a B.A. in geology at Mount Holyoke College (1983) and then went on to a Ph.D. in geochemistry at New Mexico Tech (1989). She has worked for the Bureau of Geology, at New Mexico Tech, since 1992, focusing on geochemistry of volcanic rocks, particularly volcanic ashes and other explosive eruptions, mainly in New Mexico and Antarctica. Her professional interests include research on a wide range of topics broadly focused on volcanic and igneous processes. These include studies of volcanic eruption processes, geochemical evolution of magmas, chronology and chemistry of volcanic ashes, fluid migration within magmas and geochemical alteration caused by fluids that interact with volcanic rocks. She is an adjunct faculty member at the department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at New Mexico Tech, has taught a graduate class on electron microprobe analysis, advised graduate students and served on student committees, and has been involved in outreach activities for New Mexico teachers and students.