Rate My Professor Fred Andrus

Fred Andrus is Professor and Undergraduate Program Director in the Department of Geological Sciences at The University of Alabama. He received his Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Georgia in 2000, focusing on oxygen isotope analysis of ancient otoliths to reconstruct mid-Holocene El Niño variation and human adaptation from Peruvian archaeological sites. His earlier degrees include an M.A. in Anthropology from the University of Georgia in 1995, with a thesis on stable isotopic analysis of estuarine bivalves for paleotemperature assessment, and a B.A. in Anthropology from the same institution in 1990.

Andrus's research centers on sclerochronology and stable isotope geochemistry to develop proxies for paleoclimate and paleoecology reconstruction using high-resolution records from biogenic carbonates such as mollusk shells, fish otoliths, and coralline algae. His projects investigate Holocene and Pleistocene climate variations, including sea surface temperatures, rainfall patterns, El Niño variability, upwelling, sea ice extent, and pollution histories across regions from the Gulf Coast and Atlantic to Peru, Central America, Greenland, and Antarctica. He also examines human adaptations to environmental changes through geoarchaeological analyses of shell middens. Career highlights at the University of Alabama include Assistant Professor (2004-2010), Associate Professor (2010-2017), Professor (2017-present), Department Chair (2013-2020), and Undergraduate Program Director (2008-2013, 2020-present). Prior roles were Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (2002-2004) and Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Georgia (2001-2002). Notable awards include election as a Fellow of the Geological Society of America (2023), University of Alabama Arts and Sciences Outstanding Commitment to Students Award (2021), multiple international keynote speeches (e.g., 3rd and 2nd International Sclerochronology Conferences), and University of Alabama Leadership Board Faculty Fellow (2009-2012). He co-directs the Alabama Stable Isotope Laboratory, directs the Evolutionary Studies minor, and holds leadership positions such as Vice President/President Elect of the GSA Geoarchaeology Division. Key publications encompass 'Shell midden sclerochronology' (Quaternary Science Reviews, 2011), 'Otolith δ18O record of mid-Holocene sea surface temperatures in Peru' (Science, 2002), and editorship of 'A State of Knowledge of the Natural, Cultural, and Economic Resources of the Greater Mobile-Tensaw River Area' (National Park Service, 2016). His scholarship has advanced sclerochronological methods and insights into ancient human-environment dynamics.