The Ice & Ocean Group is a research group in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia focused on glacier and ice sheet behavior, subglacial environments, and ice-ocean interactions. The distinct sediments and landforms preserved in deglaciated landscapes allow us to track past and current glacier change, as well as glacial and marine processes. 

Funding for our research comes from the NSF Office of Polar Programs, International Union for Quaternary Research, UVA H.G. Goodell Endowment, and UVA Committee on Sustainability. 

For thousands of years, the people of the Monacan Nation, have lived on, protected and cultivated the lands on which the University of Virginia, built on colonized land by enslaved laborers, stands. As ancient peoples who thrive today, we acknowledge and respect their stewardship of the land past, present, and future. ​

Dr. Lauren Simkins (she/her)  Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia and Principal Investigator of the Ice & Ocean Group. 

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Latest publications

Rapid tidally modulated retreat of Thwaites Glacier from a pinning point in the pre-satellite era, published in Nature Geoscience in 2022. 

Ambiguous stability of glaciers at bed peaks, published in Journal of Glaciology in 2022.

Sedimentary Signatures of Persistent Subglacial Meltwater Drainage from Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica, published in Frontiers in Earth Science in 2022.

Subglacial bedform sensitivity to bed characteristics across the deglaciated Northern Hemisphere, published in Earth Surface Processes and Landforms in 2022.

Topographic controls on channelized meltwater in the subglacial environment, published by Geophysical Research Letters in 2021.

Exceptions to bed-controlled ice sheet flow and retreat
from glaciated continental margins worldwide, published by Science Advances in 2021. 

What we are reading

Readings on race, equity, accessibility, and professional development

• Peer Review Bias by S. Haffar in 2019
• Few authors choose anonymous peer review by M. Enserink in 2017
• ​Journal study suggests forcing open peer review could lead to more bias by B. Yirka (abbreviated summary of Fox, 2021)

Peer-reviewed journal articles on geoscience and glaciology research

• Landforms indicative of warm-based glaciation on Mars by C. Gallagher et al. in 2021. 
• Seismic Mapping of Subglacial Hydrology by C. Labedz et al. in 2022
  
• Roughness in the Earth Sciences by M. W. Smith in 2014
  

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Archived readings.

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Let's talk! We are happy to talk with you about research, technical skills, datasets, and more. Email lsimkins at virginia dot edu to contact Dr. Simkins or to ask for the email address of the group member you wish to contact.

Applications for graduate school at UVA have closed for Fall 2023 matriculation. In the meantime, check out this great resource to help you in the graduate school application process if you plan to apply next year.

We will soon be recruiting for one fully funded postdoctoral position in glacial sedimentology with a start date in June to August 2023 and a duration of 2.5 years. Contact Dr. Simkins detailing your interest in glacial sedimentology, career goals, and any relevant skills and experiences.

If you are eligible to apply for the National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs (NSF OPP) Postdoctoral Research Fellowship and are interested in our research, please contact Dr. Simkins to determine if we are research-compatible. Dr. Simkins would determine if your proposal idea is novel and feasible, review the proposal documents, and write a letter of collaboration as the supervising researcher.