James Brenan joined the Department of Earth Sciences at Dalhousie as the new Chair in January 2016. James came to Dalhousie from University of Toronto where he was a faculty member since 1996. James is a petrologist and geochemist who simulates rock-forming conditions in the laboratory to understand the processes responsible for element distribution in the Earth and terrestrial planets. Born in Needham, MA, he moved to Canada for undergraduate studies at McGill University (BSc Hon, 1985), and became hooked on Geology by the inspired teaching of A.E. "Willy" Williams-Jones. At McGill, James acquired an interest for the "dark-coloured" igneous rocks under the influence of Prof. Don Francis. James went on to pursue a Ph.D. degree at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY), studying under Prof. E. Bruce Watson. James’ PhD research, involved experiments to better establish the role of aqueous fluids in trace element recycling through subduction zones. After completion of his PhD in 1990, James was a post-doc at the Geophysical Laboratory in Washington D.C (1990-1992), then Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, in Livermore, California (1992-1996).
Awards and other Recognition Julian Boldy Award for Best Paper in Mineral Deposit Research, 2012 Dean’s Outstanding Teaching Award, University of Toronto, 2004 Hawley Medal, Best Paper Award, Mineralogical Association of Canada, 2003 Young Scientist Medal, Mineralogical Association of Canada, 2002 Premier’s Research Excellence Award, 2000 Fellow and Life Member of the Mineralogical Society of America, 1998-present Mineralogical Society of America Award, 1998