Professor Alan Fryar is the James B. Thompson, Jr. Distinguished International Lecturer for
2024-2025.
Alan Fryar brings a wealth of expertise and experience to this prestigious role. He received his BS in Geology
and History from Duke University in 1984, his MS in Geology from Texas A&M University in 1986, and his PhD in
Geology from the University of Alberta (Canada) in 1992. Following his doctoral studies, he was a Research
Associate in the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin from 1992 to 1995. Currently, he
is a Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Kentucky, where he has been a dedicated
faculty member since 1995.
Professor Fryar’s teaching portfolio includes classes in hydrology, hydrogeology, and environmental geology. Over
his distinguished career, he has mentored eight PhD and 18 MS students. His research interests encompass
groundwater/stream interactions, mass transport in karst watersheds, chemical evolution during groundwater
recharge and flow, natural attenuation of contaminants, and water resources in developing countries. He has
authored or co-authored 73 journal papers and 18 book or proceedings chapters.
Professor Fryar is a GSA Fellow and has also served as Chair of GSA’s Hydrogeology Division (2013-14). His
international contributions are notable, having been a Fulbright Specialist in Environmental Science to Pakistan
(2009-10) and India (2017), a Fulbright Research Scholar in Geology to Morocco (2014), and a Fulbright-Kalam
Climate Fellow to India (2023).