Home Staff Directory

KGS Staff and Affiliates Directory

Contact information for Kentucky Geological Survey staff and affiliated faculty and students.

State Geologist and Directors

Leadership of the Kentucky Geological Survey

Mike McGlue

Mike McGlue

State Geologist and KGS Director

Expertise: paleolimnology, geoscience, and climate resilience

Zhenming Wang

Zhenming Wang

Associate Director and Director of Geoscience Division

Expertise: earthquake seismology, earthquake geotechnical engineering, geologic hazards and mitigation policies, and applied geophysics

Kathryn Ellis

Kathryn Ellis

Assistant Director of Finance and Administration

Expertise: financial and human resources management

Elizabeth Adams

Elizabeth Adams

Director of Engagement Division

Expertise: collections and data management, data dissemination

  • Archives
  • Education
  • Media
  • Outreach
  • Publishing
Doug Curl

Doug Curl

Director of Information Management Division

Expertise: GIS Web development, GIS, geoinformatics, geologic mapping, structural geology

  • Databases and Data Management
  • GIS & Mapping Support
  • IT Support
  • Outreach
  • Web Development

Administration

Ambre Armstrong

Ambre Armstrong

Administrative Support Associate

Gwen Phillips

Gwen Phillips

Staff Support Associate

Geoscience Research

Research Team Leads

Glynn Beck

Glynn Beck

Geologist IV

Expertise: Edge-of-field monitoring; drone-based thermal, multispectral, and LIDAR; western Kentucky hydrogeology; western Kentucky groundwater quality

Matt Crawford

Matt Crawford

Geologist IV

Expertise: engineering geology, landslides, slope stability, geophysics, GIS, and hazards communication

John Hickman

John Hickman

Geologist IV

Expertise: structural geology, tectonics, petroleum geology, and exploration geophysics

Gina Lukoczki

Gina Lukoczki

Geologist IV

Expertise: carbonate geochemistry, petrography, fluid inclusion analysis, and x-ray diffraction

Charles J. (Chuck) Taylor

Charles J. (Chuck) Taylor

Geologist V

Expertise: Hydrogeology of karst and fractured-rock aquifers; groundwater monitoring; groundwater contaminants and geochemistry; groundwater and surface water interaction

Junfeng Zhu

Junfeng Zhu

Geologist V

Expertise: Aquifer characterization; groundwater flow and transport modeling; hydrogeophysics, focusing on electrical resistivity; water chemistry modeling; LiDAR applications in hydrology.

Researchers

Sarah Arpin

Sarah Arpin

Geologist II

Expertise: karst hydrogeology and geomorphology; geospatial data management and analysis

  • Databases and Data Management
Desireé Cunningham

Desireé Cunningham

Geologist I

Expertise: Karst Mapping, Karst Hazards, GIS Applications, Python Coding

Ray Daniel

Ray Daniel

Principal Research Analyst

  • Archives
Cortland F. Eble

Cortland F. Eble

Geologist V

Expertise: oil & gas geology, subsurface stratigraphy and mapping, carbonate sedimentology and diagenesis

Hudson Koch

Hudson Koch

Geologist II

Expertise: lidar, hazard assessment and modeling, GIS, spatial and temporal statistics, applied geophysics, machine learning

Steven L. Martin

Steven L. Martin

Geologist III

Expertise: field and digital geologic mapping, natural arches and fractures (joints)

Kurstin McKinney

Kurstin McKinney

Geologist I

  • Archives
Paul Puckett

Paul Puckett

Geology Database Support

  • GIS & Mapping Support
Carrie Pulliam

Carrie Pulliam

Data Management Specialist

  • Databases and Data Management
Donna Robinson

Donna Robinson

Geologist II

Expertise: GIS applications, 3D Geology, and Radon science

Meredith Swallom

Meredith Swallom

Geologist II

Expertise: Structural Geology, Tectonics, Surface Processes, Near-Surface Hazards Assessment, GIS Applications

Alex Washburn

Alex Washburn

Geologist III

Expertise: Sedimentary geochemistry, geochronology, basin analysis, petroleum systems, methane emissions, drone operations

Deron Zierer

Deron Zierer

Geologist II

Expertise: methane quantification

Engagement and Communications

Natalie Fields

Natalie Fields

Geologic Photographer

Rebekah Frazier

Rebekah Frazier

Communications Officer

Expertise: communications, public relations and outreach

  • Outreach
Shelby Fulton

Shelby Fulton

Editorial Officer

  • Publishing
Charlie Hall

Charlie Hall

Archive Technician

  • Archives
Cheyenne Hohman

Cheyenne Hohman

Publication Resources Curator

  • Archives
  • Publishing
Sierra Ison

Sierra Ison

Archive Technician

  • Archives

Information Management

Ralph DeJesus

Ralph DeJesus

Administrative Systems Engineer I

  • Databases and Data Management
  • IT Support
Mike Ellis

Mike Ellis

IS Technical Support Specialist IV

  • IT Support
Emily Morris

Emily Morris

Cartographic Data Manager

Expertise: GIS, cartography, digital data

  • GIS & Mapping Support

Facilities

Jason Backus

Jason Backus

Laboratory Manager

Expertise: Water quality analysis and XRD/XRF analysis of rocks and minerals

Ryan Pinkston

Ryan Pinkston

Research Facility Manager

Mallory Sailors

Mallory Sailors

Archive Technician

Postdoctoral Researchers

Rachel Washburn

Rachel Washburn

Postdoctoral Fellow

Expertise: Cross-disciplinary Geoscience, Biomedical, & Ecological Researcher

Faculty Affiliates

Sarah Johnson

Sarah Johnson

Research Assistant Professor

Expertise: Geomorphology, landslides, geospatial analysis, lidar aquisition, change detection, engineering geology, landscape evolution, machine learning, remote sensing

Ed Woolery

Ed Woolery

Geophysics Faculty Associate

Expertise: engineering geophysics

Emeritus

Stephen F. Greb

Stephen F. Greb

STEPS Geologist - Retired Geologist V

Expertise: Coal, sedimentology, stratigraphy, paleontology, earth science education