He has over forty peer-reviewed publications and serves on journal editorial boards and review committees. He earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Geology from the University of the Philippines and his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. Prior to coming to St. Louis he was the Byrd Fellow at the Byrd Polar Research Center at Ohio State University. His research has taken him to the Philippines, China, Madagascar, southern Africa, Iceland, and Antarctica.