Kaustubh Thirumalai
Dr. Kaustubh Thirumalai obtained his Ph.D. in 2016 at the University of Texas at Austin and joined the faculty of the University of Arizona in 2019, after postdoctoral positions at the UT Institute for Geophysics and Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences at Brown University.
My research focuses on Earth's climate variability and paleoceanography. I am interested in learning about the causes and mechanisms of past fluctuations in the ocean and atmosphere, and how such information can help us anticipate future changes. To do so, I use a combination of observations, geochemical proxy measurements, and modeling simulations to identify and investigate important processes at play in the Earth-climate system. Primarily, my work involves stable isotopic and trace metal geochemistry of (mainly) carbonate archives (e.g. corals/foraminifera/snails/stalagmites) as well as the analysis of climate model simulations. I am also interested in extreme climate events and hazards (earthquakes, flooding, heatwaves, sea-level changes), and how the geological record can help inform future projections.
Ongoing research projects include Indo-Pacific climate change, reconstructing Atlantic Ocean circulation anomalies, Indian paleomonsoon variability, and uncertainty in proxy-model comparisons. Please email reach out via email if you’re an undergraduate student seeking research experience, a potential M.S./Ph.D. student, or if you’d like to explore postdoctoral options.
Research Interests:
Paleoclimate/ocean variability, carbonate geochemistry, paleoecology, ENSO, Monsoons
Awards and Recognitions:
- 2025 Fellow National, The Explorers Club
- 2022 AGU Nanne Weber Early Career Award
- 2022 University of Arizona Geosciences Outstanding Faculty Award
- 2021 AGU Outstanding Reviewer for 2020, Geophysical Research Letters
- 2020 VAIBHAV Summit Panelist, Prime Minister’s Office of India
- 2017 Brown University Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship
- 2016 NSF Mitchell-Hamline Expert Witness Training Academy Fellow
- 2016 UTIG Institutional Postdoctoral Fellowship Award
- 2015 University of Texas Brundrett Endowed Scholarship
- 2015 University of Texas Institute for Geophysics Ewing-Worzel Fellowship
- 2014 University of Texas Institute for Geophysics Gale White Fellowship
- 2014 Jackson School Lagoe Micropaleontology Fund
- 2013 Geological Society of America Student Research Grant
- 2012 European Center for Excellence Summer Fellowship
- 2009 Indian Academy of Sciences Summer Research Fellowship