Dr. Alex Sessions

Biography

Alex L. Sessions is the Nico Marilyn van Wingen Professor of Geobiology at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). He completed his B.A. at Williams College in 1991, M.Sc. at Dartmouth College in 1996, and Ph.D. at Indiana University, Bloomington in 2001. Since joining Caltech, he has advanced from Assistant Professor (2003-2010) to Associate Professor (2010), and now holds a professorship as of 2010. His research focuses on isotopic biogeochemistry and organic geochemistry, particularly the controls on the distribution of hydrogen and sulfur isotopes in lipids and marine organic materials, as well as the evolution of life through the records preserved within these materials. Sessions investigates how biological and geological processes interact, studying the waxy organic molecules produced by living organisms that are later preserved in sediments. His work aims to understand the origins and evolution of life, examining the molecular fossils that provide insights into Earth's biological history over the last three billion years.

Research Interests

Courses