Earth and Energy Sciences (Ph.D.)
The interdisciplinary PhD in Earth and Energy Sciences will give you a multidisciplinary understanding of issues central to meeting the energy and environmental challenges of today and tomorrow. The four disciplines integrated into the program are chemistry, environmental science, geology, and physics.
As a doctoral student in the Earth and Energy Sciences program, you will acquire a general understanding of each component-discipline and pursue at least one in which to specialize at a deeper level through additional elective courses and dissertation research. The multi-disciplinary awareness and research experience prepares you for newly emerging jobs in industry, academia careers in teaching and research, and careers in consulting.
The program combines the expertise of 28 faculty members and facilities and research laboratories across campus to support doctoral students and their research. Research areas include: ecosystem science & modeling, soil biochemistry, soil microbial ecology, agroecosystems, water & soil quality, fate of pollutants, wetlands science, biofuels & biosensors, atmospheric chemistry, volatiles and contaminants, polymers, catalysis, cancer therapy, biochemical energy (photosynthesis), solar-chemical energy conversion, environmental geology, marine geology, remote sensing, marine optics, computational geodynamics, seismology, sedimentology, tectonics, paleontology, hydrogeology, mineralogy, geochemistry, structural geology, bioacoustics, micromagnets, underwater acoustics, materials science, radiation physics, planetary acoustics & sensors, and complex systems.
As you progress through the program, you’ll have opportunities to design and conduct research, present your preliminary and final findings, and submit manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals. All doctoral students, including those supported by research grants, are encouraged to gain teaching experience while earning their doctoral degree.
Earth and Energy Sciences at UL Lafayette
Location
Our location in Lafayette, LA, helps make the School of Geosciences the ideal place to earn your graduate degree in Earth and energy sciences. We have strong industry ties and we are home to 40 percent of the country’s freshwater wetlands—meaning you will have an abundance of research, internship, and career opportunities in your own backyard.
Partnerships
The School of Geosciences has partnered with 14 businesses and organizations in the region to provide internships for student in the master’s in environmental resource science program. The School of Geosciences also manages the Ira Nelson Horticulture Center and Cade Farm, which function as off-campus research and educational facilities. At the Cade Farm, students have access to 600 acres of pasture lands, agricultural lands, wetland habitats, a coastal wetland research laboratory, and a seed bank for the state of Louisiana.
Instruments and Labs
Our facilities include extensive bench space, available gas, vacuum and air lines, fume hoods, and wireless internet access. The labs are also equipped with a Barnstead pure water system.
Additional laboratory spaces are dedicated to sample preparation and analysis via isotope ratio mass spectrometry and Rock-Eval pyrolysis.
Geology Museum
The UL Lafayette Geology Museum hosts over 2,000 square feet of exhibit space for fossils, minerals, and rocks, and a 1,500-square-foot research space for students and faculty. It houses the University's collection of fossils, rocks and minerals with an on-site laboratory to process specimens.
