University of Arizona geoscientist Kaustubh Thirumalai named to National Fellowship on the Future of Liberal Education

Dr. Kaustubh Thirumalai, associate professor in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Arizona, has been selected for the inaugural cohort of the National Fellowship on the Future of Liberal Education (NAFFLE), a program supported by the Teagle Foundation.

Thirumalai will represent the University of Arizona among 24 fellows chosen from research universities nationwide and is one of only two Earth scientists included in the cohort. The fellowship recognizes newly tenured faculty nominated by institutional leaders for their commitment to advancing the role of education in research universities.

“I feel honored and privileged to have been selected for the inaugural NAFFLE cohort,” said Thirumalai. “I thank those who helped nominate me, and I am very grateful for my mentors, students, and laboratory group at the University of Arizona, who all recognize that rigorous, research-led education is essential to tackle the complexity of our changing planet.”

Thirumalai’s research focuses on Earth’s climate variability and paleoceanography, with an emphasis on understanding past oceanic and atmospheric changes to better anticipate future climate conditions. Using geochemical proxy data from natural archives such as corals, foraminifera, and cave formations, alongside climate model simulations, Thirumalai investigates key processes shaping the Earth’s climate system. His work also explores extreme climate events, including flooding, heatwaves, and sea-level change, and how the geologic record can inform future projections.

Through the NAFFLE program, Thirumalai will collaborate with a national network of scholars to explore how education can evolve to meet the challenges of a changing world.

"Kau’s research on past climate variability, and what it reveals about our planet’s future, is technically rigorous. He brings that same rigor into the classroom,” said Dr. Paul Kapp, interim head of Geosciences. “This honor reflects not just his scholarship, but his recognition that how we educate the next generation of scientists must evolve to meet the challenges of a changing world.”

Thirumalai joined the U of A faculty in 2019 after completing postdoctoral research at the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics and Brown University. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in 2016. He was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2025.

To learn more about Dr. Thirumalai and his research efforts, click here.