Paul K. Doss

University of Southern Indiana

2026 Michel T. Halbouty Distinguished Lecturer

Dr. Paul K. Doss is recognized for a distinguished career that exemplifies the spirit of the Michel T. Halbouty Distinguished Leadership Award through his exceptional contributions to geology, public service, environmental stewardship, and teaching as a faculty member at the University of Southern Indiana (USI). He earned a bachelors in Geology from Indiana University Indianapolis and a Ph.D. from Northern Illinois University, and built an accomplished career spanning higher education, environmental consulting, public lands management, and science policy.

His leadership roles have included serving as Supervisory Geologist for Yellowstone National Park from 2000 to 2001 and as a GSA Visiting Scholar for Earth Science Policy in Washington, DC in 2017. He also worked as a scientist for Acadia, Everglades, Indiana Dunes, and Mammoth Cave National Parks. He received two Natural Resource Protection Awards from the National Park Service in 2001 and the U.S. Forest Service in 2008. He was honored as Distinguished Professor at USI in 2007 and named the Indiana University Indianapolis’s School of Science Distinguished Alumnus in 2016. Throughout his career, he has advanced the understanding and management of water resources, wetlands, and geological resources across the United States.

Dr. Doss’s scholarly contributions include more than twenty scientific publications, with pioneering research on wetland hydrogeology that has helped shape modern understanding of these complex ecosystems. His work has influenced both scientific practice and resource management, particularly in the stewardship of public lands and water resources. Moreover, he has mentored over 50 undergraduate students with research projects focusing on hydrogeology on state and federal lands, such as Manistee National Forest and Yellowstone National Park.

In the classroom, Dr. Doss engages students with real-world challenges that include anthropogenic microplastics in natural systems, accessibility to clean drinking water, and the impacts of climate change on the environment. At USI, he taught courses on Environmental Geology, Geology of National Parks, Hydrogeology, and Water Resources, along with leading regional geologic excursions and directing student research. His dedication to teaching is exemplified through his meticulous geology excursions that engage students in making observations and collecting data in the field. In addition to learning science on these trips, he emphasizes public policy and environmental stewardship, visiting numerous federal lands, including Acadia National Park, Mammoth Cave National Park, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Shawnee National Forest, and Yellowstone National Park, along with state lands such as Hemlock Cliffs and Indiana Dunes State Park. Both in and out of the classroom, Dr. Doss emphasizes the essential role of scientific knowledge in fostering responsible stewardship of the Earth and informing sound, accountable public policy.

Beyond his teaching and research accomplishments, Dr. Doss has been a tireless advocate for the application of geology to public policy. As past chair of the GSA’s Geology and Public Policy Committee, he helped strengthen connections between the geoscience community and policymakers, promoting informed decision-making on issues of national importance. In 2021, Dr. Doss served as President of the Indiana Academy of Science (IAS), and in 2022 he was elected Fellow by the IAS and by GSA. In 2022, he originated the Indiana Science Policy: Educate, Collaborate, Transform (INSPECT) Fellowship sponsored by IAS to bring together the scientific community and state government to train scientists to be effective advisors for public policy. The fellowship supports current STEM graduate students to guide elected officials in using scientific data in the development of state and local policies. His commitment to public engagement is further demonstrated through widely recognized presentations, including his TEDx talk, Beyond the Science: Environmental Problems…Cultural Solutions, which highlights the vital intersection of science, society, and sustainable solutions.

Through his scholarship, leadership, public service, and dedication to advancing the geosciences for the benefit of society, Dr. Paul K. Doss is a most deserving recipient of the Michel T. Halbouty Distinguished Leadership Award.

I am honored to receive the Halbouty Distinguished Lecturer Award from GSA and grateful to my colleague and friend, Bill Elliott, for his nomination. To be on a past recipient list with a former president of the NAS and director of the USGS, a UN “Champion of the Earth,” my academic grandfather, and all the others, is a bit unreal. The only reason I’m here is because of the many mentors, colleagues, and students who have made me better over the years. I devoted my career to undergraduate education and to illuminating hydrogeological processes and environmental change in the critical zone on our public lands. Undergraduates are our future, healthy public lands improve lives, and a functional critical zone, very simply, permits survival. By design of our educational system, the public is ignorant of geoscience. Increasing their awareness becomes more important every day—I say it’s critical. Let’s do it!