Dennis Newell Named Interim Head of USU's Department of Geosciences

Utah State University geochemistry professor Dennis Newell is the interim head of the university’s Department of Geosciences. He assumed the new post Aug. 1.

“Dr. Newell is an exceptional educator and scholar,” says USU Science Dean Michelle Baker. “I have every confidence the Department of Geosciences will flourish under his leadership.”

Newell succeeds Professor Joel Pederson, who served as department head from 2016-2024. Pederson joined Colorado State University as head of the Department of Geosciences in the Warner College of Natural Resources.

“I am very excited to have the opportunity to step into this role,” says Newell, who arrived at Utah State in 2013. “I have been invested in the success of this department as a faculty member, and I look forward to leading such a strong department and contributing more directly to the overall success of the College of Science.”

Newell’s research focuses on field-oriented, aqueous and stable isotope geochemistry to interrogate the origins and history of geofluids in continents, fluid-flow in faults with connections to the earthquake cycle and fluid-rock-biosphere interactions.

“At Utah State, I’ve been active in building and directing an analytical lab, student mentoring and teaching at all levels in the department,” he says. “For the past three years, I’ve served as graduate director. I understand our strengths and the challenges of student and faculty recruitment, along with the importance of moving students efficiently through their degree program and fostering student success during challenging times.”

Newell leads the department’s partnership with the American Geophysical Union’s Bridge Program, initiated in 2021, which seeks to strengthen student access to the geosciences and bolster recruitment efforts.

“We’ve recruited two graduate students through the program so far, and one of these scholars recently completed a master’s degree,” he says. “In addition to aiding our recruitment efforts, this program has allowed us to interact with other member universities and receive valuable insights on facing such challenges as student retention and balancing graduate student funding during rapid growth in the cost of living.”

Newell graduated with a bachelor’s degree in geology from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in 1992. He earned a master’s degree in geology from Colorado State University in 1997, and completed a doctoral degree in Earth and Planetary Sciences from the University of New Mexico in 2007.

He spent much of his career prior to USU conducting research at New Mexico’s Los Alamos National Laboratory.