Thomas Minckley, who has a doctorate from the University of Oregon, brings an esteemed resume to the Department of Geology and Geophysics through his teaching and research as a professor.
In 2008, Minckley began working at the university in the Department of Botany. Almost 14 years later he is now a senior professor.
In his time as a researcher in Wyoming, Professor Minckley has been a part of many publications. Many in reputed national and international journals.
His work primarily “focuses on the ecology of plant communities to climate change and disturbances of the past.” Specifically in arid and semi-arid regions, making Wyoming a fitting location for his research.
He hopes that by studying how ecosystems responded to stresses, such as drought and fire, in the past we will be better equipped to care for and conserve them both now and in the future.
“I probably learn more than my class,” Minckley said, talking about how he views teaching as a shared learning experience. He notes it is also a “way to get my research, and thoughts, out of my head.”
As far as why he teaches, Minckley said, “teaching is a way to pass this on and continue work.”
When he is not wrapped up in his work at the university, Minckley spends his time adventuring waterways on rafts.
For him it is a different way to interact with water than when he finds himself working with it for his conservation research.
“It’s nice to sit as you get older,” He added with a smile. Talking about the peace he finds rafting.
However, sometimes his escapades are anything but a nice afternoon float. In 2019 he was part of a rafting expedition that covered over 1000 miles in 70 days, a trip that allowed him to mix both work and leisure.
After spending both undergraduate and graduate school in the Western United States, Professor Minckley has now been working at The University of Wyoming for nearly 14 years.
Born in Arizona, he attended in-state universities before moving to The Pacific Northwest for graduate school.
After graduating with his first bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications in 1987, Minckley decided to return to school and get his second.
Thanks to an upbringing in Arizona, he found himself outside hiking and backpacking often, which ultimately piqued his interest and led him back to the classroom. This time in the fields of biology and ecology culminating in a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology in 1996.
After receiving his undergraduate, he then pursued a Ph.D.
“Oregon is where the best people to work for were,” he said on the decision to attend The University of Oregon. An institution he would go on to graduate from with an M.A. in 1999 and Ph.D. in 2003.
Upon finishing his doctorate, Minckley went into the field of teaching and research. Which would ultimately bring him to the University of Wyoming.
