Daniel Dixon
Director of Sustainability, Office of Sustainability
Address: 312 Corbett Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469
Bio:
I am the UMaine Sustainability Director and a Research Assistant Professor in the Climate Change Institute. I received my Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Southampton, UK, studying the clay mineralogy of mud volcanoes and diapirs along the Iberian continental margin using x-ray diffraction techniques. Since then, I have earned my Master’s Degree in Quaternary and Climate Studies and my PhD in Earth Sciences while working here at the University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute.
My graduate field work was primarily based in Antarctica. As a member of the United States International Trans-Antarctic Scientific Expedition team, I completed five Antarctic field seasons, traversing >10,000 km over the ice sheet and drilling >40 ice cores along the way. My research is focused on reconstructing paleoclimate over the last ~1000 years using the chemistry contained in snow and ice. Most recently, I have been focusing on ice core recovery from remote mountain regions using the CCI 2-inch and 3-inch electromechanical ice drills. I have worked in Iceland, Southern Patagonia, the New Zealand Southern Alps, the Central Chilean Andes, the Peruvian Andes, the Olympic Mountains, the Saint Elias Mountains, and on the Island of South Georgia.
In my role as Sustainability Director, I provide strategic direction and leadership to promote a culture of sustainability at the University of Maine. I am responsible for the overall management and oversight of the Office of Sustainability and work closely with all levels of university leadership to advance UMaine’s ongoing commitment to sustainability. In my spare moments, I enjoy spending time with my family, hiking, biking, exploring, watching movies, eating healthy and delicious locally-sourced foods, and conducting extremely intense Beyblade battles with my son.