Jeffrey White

Jeffrey R. White is Professor Emeritus in the Paul H. O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Bloomington, with research contributions in Geoscience through affiliations with the Department of Geological Sciences. He received his Ph.D. from Syracuse University in 1984, M.S. from Rutgers University in 1979, and B.A. from Gettysburg College in 1977. Since joining Indiana University in 1983, White has held prominent leadership roles, including Founding Director of the Integrated Program in the Environment (2012-2018), Associate Vice Provost for Research (2006-2009), Associate Dean of the O'Neill School (2001-2005), and Chair of the Environmental Science and Policy Faculty (1994-1997). He has taught courses in Aquatic Chemistry and Environmental Engineering: Energy Systems, mentoring students in environmental science, chemistry, hydrogeology, biogeochemistry, and applied ecology.

A biogeochemist, White investigates human impacts on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, specializing in environmental biogeochemistry, climate change effects on greenhouse gas cycles in Arctic landscapes, permafrost thaw responses in plant and soil microbial communities, and microbial regulation of reactive nitrogen emissions. His research utilizes chemical mass balances, stable isotopes, and environmental genomics, featuring NASA-funded studies on methane cycling in lakes, wetlands, and soils near the Greenland Ice Sheet, and plant methane emissions at the DOE's SPRUCE project to improve predictive models of northern emissions. White's accolades include the Indiana University Bicentennial Medal (2020), IU Distinguished Faculty Research Lecturer (2018), Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award (1998), Trustees Teaching Excellence Recognition Awards (1998, 1997), and Fellowship in the U.S. Committee on Institutional Cooperation's Academic Leadership Program (2005-2006). Key publications encompass "Methane Transport Pathways and Oxidation in a Minnesota Bog" (2025, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences), "ABCFlux v2: Arctic-boreal CH4 and CO2 monthly flux observations" (2025, Earth System Science Data), "Exploring methane cycling in an Arctic lake in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland" (2022, Frontiers in Environmental Science), "Nitrogen cycling microbiomes are structured by plant mycorrhizal associations" (2020, Global Change Biology), and "Microbial mechanisms and ecosystem flux estimation for aerobic NOy emissions from deciduous forest soils" (2019, PNAS).

Professional Email: whitej@iu.edu