Drew Coleman

Biography

Drew Coleman earned his Ph.D. from the University of Kansas in 1991 and joined the faculty at the University of North Carolina in 2001 after a post-doctoral research position at MIT and a short time on the faculty at Boston University. He is currently a professor in the Department of Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences at Carolina. Coleman is the director of the isotope geochronology and geochemistry labs at Carolina. Recently, his research has focused on understanding the timing and duration of economic mineralization (e.g., gold, silver, molybdenum) associated with the eruption of super volcanoes in the western US, with the goal of enhancing exploration techniques. Coleman’s lab is also involved heavily with forensic geology and archaeology, using isotopes to trace human trade and migration. The research group also uses lead isotope geochemistry to trace environmental contamination from leaded gas, coal ash and other sources.