Dr. Claudia Mora

Biography

Claudia Mora became Dean of the Jackson School of Geosciences in February 2020, transitioning from the Los Alamos National Laboratory, where she served as the deputy division leader for the Chemistry Division. In that role, she led five diverse technical groups involved in research and development in actinide chemistry, radiochemical isotope science, applied spectroscopy, and nuclear nonproliferation. Claudia has held significant leadership positions within the Los Alamos Earth and Environmental Sciences Division and the Nuclear Nonproliferation Security Program Office. Before her tenure at Los Alamos, she was a faculty member at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville, where she also served as the department head. Her work has been recognized for its collaborative research at the intersection of geology, soil science, and dendrochronology. Her research focuses on stable isotope proxy records and climate environments, utilizing terrestrial archives including soils, fossil soils, tree rings, and lake sediments. Mora is nationally and globally recognized for her expertise and has actively participated in professional service, serving as past president of the Geological Society of America and appointed counselor to the International Union of Geological Sciences. She has also been a U.S. delegate to the International Geological Congress and is a member of the U.S. National Committee on Geological Sciences and the U.S. National Committee on Soil Sciences.

Research Interests