Allen McNamara

Endowed Professors College of Natural Science

• Geological Sciences Endowed Professorship
• Established through an anonymous gift

• Earth and Environmental Sciences

Bio

Allen McNamara, endowed professor of geodynamics in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, is conducting groundbreaking research aimed at understanding the structure, dynamics, and evolution of Earth’s interior, with an emphasis on investigating how convection within the deep interior cools the planet, drives plate tectonics, and controls the volcanism at the surface.

McNamara received his BS degrees in physics and geology from Michigan State University, and his  MS  in geology and PhD in geophysics from the University of Michigan. Prior to joining MSU in 2016, he was an associate professor of geodynamics in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University.

McNamara has published more than 35 peer-reviewed papers and has been an invited speaker at numerous conferences, seminars, and colloquiums. During his tenure at Arizona State, he was voted School of Earth and Space Exploration Graduate Professor of the Year four out of his last five years there – 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016.