With broad research interests focused on field techniques in aquatic, climate, Quaternary and astrobiological sciences, Dr. Doran has conducted more than ten field seasons in the Canadian High Arctic and at last count about fifteen in the Antarctic in this pursuit.

Specific research areas include modern hydrological and biogeochemical processes in polar lake systems, and the use of this modern calibration in paleoenvironmental reconstruction, paleolimnology and sedimentology of perennially ice-covered Antarctic lakes, problems in Quaternary dating in the Antarctic dry valleys, biogeochemistry of deeply ice-covered lakes, physical controls on and ecological impact of persistent lake ice covers, modern controls on carbon isotopic signatures in lacustrine systems, and the use of the dry valleys as analogs to help in the search for evidence of extant or extinct life on other worlds. He has also conducted research in microclimatology of polar regions using automated weather stations. This research has been mostly connected to defining the climate controls on ice covers and modeling of polar lake systems.

Interests in global change and communicating science lead to Dr. Doran be named a Leopold Fellow in 2008 by Standford University's Woods Institute for the Environment.

He is currently a co-PI on the McMurdo Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) project in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica and PI of a NASA ASTEP (Astrobiology Science and Technology for Exploring Planets) project in the McMurdo Dry Valleys to develop and deploy and autonomous underwater vehicle. To view all Dr. Doran's projects, click here.

Read all recent media coverage
of Dr. Doran's research >>

Jan 20, 2009: Dr. Doran and former graduate student
Maggie Kendall Zimmerman's research survey of
climate scientists around the world
has been published today in EOS, a publication of the
American Geophysical Union.
The study shows an overwhelming
consensus among climate researchers
on the issue of global warming and its likely causes.
Press release >>
Article in EOS (pdf) >>
Maggie Kendall Zimmerman's full thesis >>
Powerpoint file of Figure 1 in EOS Paper >>
FAQ >>

Listen to a UIC podcast on the topic with Dr. Doran >>

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The ENDURANCE project has
finished for its field season