Jennifer Roberts, Ph.D.

Dr. Jennifer A. Roberts is the Managing Trustee of the Self Graduate Programs. She also serves as Vice Provost for Graduate Studies and is a Professor in the Department of Geology. Dr. Roberts received her doctorate at the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied microbial interactions with aquifer mineralogy in hydrocarbon-contaminated groundwater. She also served as a National Research Council Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Water Research Division of the USGS before joining the University of Kanas in 2001. Her research at KU centers on hydrochemistry and microbial geochemistry, bridging basic and applied science to better understand the role of microorganisms in mineral weathering as it applies to carbon sequestration, petroleum reservoir diagenesis, paleoclimate, and water quality from nano- to landscape-scales. Prior to her roles with Graduate Studies, Dr. Roberts served as a KU Senior Administrative Fellow as well as Chair of the Geology Department. 

For her research as well as her teaching, Dr. Roberts has received recognition such as the Professional Excellence Award from the Association for Women in Geoscience, the Docking Young Faculty Scholar Award, and the Kathleen McCluskey-Fawcett Women Mentoring Women Award, among others. Her work has also received multiple major funding awards from institutions such as the National Science Foundation, the Army Corps of Engineers, the American Chemical Society, and the U.S. Department of Energy.