Edited for length. Find full story at the College of Science.

Aurora Clark and Gabriel Bowen assume positions as chair in the Department of Chemistry and Department of Geology & Geophysics, respectively, beginning July 1, 2025.

Aurora Clark

Aurora Clark has been announced as the new chair of the Department of Chemistry at the U, beginning July 1, replacing interim chair Peter Armentrout. She brings to the role computational expertise, interdisciplinary leadership experience and a commitment to protecting scientific innovation.

“I’ve had roles that are adjacent to being a chair, and am excited to expand upon those experiences,” she explained, referencing her previous positions as director of an interdisciplinary materials science and engineering doctoral program and of a high-performance computing center. Most recently, she helped establish the Joint Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology between Pacific Northwest National Lab and Washington State University, where she was on faculty before arriving in Utah.

Allaying separation anxieties

Today, Clark leads groundbreaking research in chemical separations of critical minerals and nuclear materials in her Clark Chem Lab. “The 15 lanthanide elements that make up most critical materials have similar chemical reactivity and often occur in mixtures with each other,” Clark explained. “However, the differences in the way their electrons are arranged lead to important uses as high-field magnets in electronics or as qubits in quantum computers. Separating one lanthanide element from others, or from complex mixtures like e-waste, is notoriously challenging.”

What sets Clark’s work apart is her innovative approach to data analysis. Her team develops “physics-informed data analysis and data science” tools that are specifically adapted for the high-dimensional and time-dependent data found in chemical processes, rather than applying generic analytical approaches.

Modeling chemical processes on a computer provides crucial molecular-level insights that are often impossible to obtain experimentally. Such modeling can be particularly valuable when studying radioactive materials, allowing researchers to use computers to “decrease the number of experiments that need to be done and increase the safety of experimental scientists.”

Innovation first

Clark brings a thoughtful approach to balancing research with administrative responsibilities. Her lab emphasizes mentorship infrastructure, and she sees her term as chair as protecting the broader scientific enterprise.

“It is my job to support faculty who are feeling existential pressure to their research programs, to create an infrastructure that safeguards the incredible science that’s being done in our department and ensures the training and education of the next generation of scientists and citizens,” she stated.

Gabe Bowen

From tracking the routes of water throughout the West to determining the levels of carbon in the Paleocene, Gabriel “Gabe” Bowen’s research into isotopes extends into a variety of critical research paths. He assumes the position of chair in the Department of Geology & Geophysics on July 1, replacing interim chair Kip Solomon.

“One of the really cool things about isotope geochemistry is that it really crosses disciplinary boundaries,” Bowen said. “It’s a subfield that grew out of earth science, geology and geochemistry, but it’s useful in everything from forensic science to water research to planetary science.”

Bowen came to the U as a postdoc before joining Purdue University as a faculty member for seven years. He returned to the U through the Global Change and Sustainability Center and is now a professor of geology and geophysics and co-director of the Stable Isotope Facility for Environmental Research.

Recipient of a College of Science Excellence in Research Award, Bowen founded the Spatio-Temporal Isotope Analytics (SPATIAL) Lab, which uses stable isotope techniques to look at a lot of different areas of application of isotope geochemistry. “Isotope science has been kind of limited by our ability to make measurements,” said Bowen.

The SPATIAL Lab

The SPATIAL group has pushed forward, uniting isotope geoscience with data science, which helps facilitate data sharing within and between fields of study. This data can then be leveraged to tackle bigger systems questions.

One focus of work within the SPATIAL group is reconstructing Earth’s climate through its geologic past and using that data to see changes in climate, ecosystems, and biogeochemical cycles, which can then be compared to modern day. The SPATIAL group is also studying how natural cycles operate today, such as the water cycle. Additionally, they also study spatial conductivity, or the movement of things on the Earth’s surface, such as water, people, plants, and products.

One example is by using isotopes, Bowen looks at where plants are getting water from in the subsurface of the earth, which can show the stability of water supply within a community and help predict how water resources will change due to climate change.

“There’s an intimate coupling between the physical and biological processes that constitute a system,” Bowen said. “Isotopes are a common currency. The elements and isotopes that go through the water cycle or rock cycle are the same ones that go into an elephant or a ponderosa pine. We can really bridge the gap and understand the connection across these spheres.”