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Karl Flessa

Emeritus Professor of Geosciences
Picture of Karl Flessa

Gould Simpson

+1 (520) 621-7336
kflessa@arizona.edu
Pronouns:
he/him/his

Karl Flessa is Emeritus Professor of Geosciences at the University of Arizona.  He received his undergraduate degree from Lafayette College and his Ph.D. from Brown University.  He served as department head of the UA’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and of the UA’s Department of Geosciences.  From 2013-2014, he was a distinguished scientist at Australia’s C.S.I.R.O. in Brisbane.  While there, he studied the Murray-Darling River and Australian water law and policy.   He has been studying the conservation biology of the Colorado River’s delta and estuary since 1992 and is a founding member of the Colorado River Research Group.  He led the binational monitoring of Mexico’s Ciénega de Santa Clara during the 2010-2011 trial run of the Yuma desalting plant.  Since the “pulse flow” of 2014, he has been managing the binational science team that monitors the biological and hydrologic effects of restoration flows to the delta. 
He no longer advises graduate students.

Research Interests:

Conservation paleobiology, Colorado River, Science and policy, taphonomy

Awards and Recognitions:
  • Ted and Shirley Taubeneck Superior Teaching Award, 2023
     
  • Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2019
     
  • U.S. Department of the Interior, Partner in Conservation Award, 2014 (Award to the 
     
  • University of Arizona for Colorado Delta research contributing to addition to US- Mexico Water Treaty)
     
  • Geosciences Advisory Board Outstanding Faculty Award, 2013 
     
  • Centennial Fellow, The Paleontological Society, 2009
     
  • Faculty of Science Award for Creative Teaching, 1988