Associate Professor
Discipline: Sedimentary Geology

Contact Information

Department of Earth Sciences
Memorial University of Newfoundland
9 Arctic Avenue, St. John’s, NL A1B 3X5
Office: ER 5010 (Alexander Murray Building)
Phone: 709-864-4588
Email: lberanek@mun.ca

Background

Associate Professor, Memorial University (2019 - present)
Assistant Professor, Memorial University (2013-2019)
Postdoctoral Researcher, Stockholm University (2011-2013)
NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow, Geological Survey of Canada (2009-2011)
Ph.D. University of British Columbia (2009)

Research

Research website

The goal of my research is to identify the nature and rates of sedimentation along convergent and passive margins and link such earth-surface processes to long-term lithosphere evolution. My research is multidisciplinary and integrates field geology, sedimentology, stratigraphy, trace element and radiogenic isotope geochemistry, geochronology, low-temperature thermochronology, paleontology, economic geology, and tectonics. Through funding from NSERC, Natural Resources Canada, Yukon Geological Survey, and the NL provincial government, my current research program is investigating the interplay between plate tectonic activity, clastic sedimentation, and the generation of sediment-hosted natural resources. Please visit my research website to learn more about ongoing projects.

Teaching

My primary motivation as an instructor is to prepare Earth Sciences majors and graduate students to be professional geoscientists. I believe that good teaching must successfully transmit the three pillars of our science: (1) a broad theoretical background; (2) hands-on field and laboratory skills; and (3) proficient technical writing and oral presentation skills.

During the Fall term I typically teach EASC 2702 - Sedimentology and Stratigraphy, which is compulsory for those that aim to be professional geologists, environmental geoscientists, or geophysicists in Canada (standards set by Geoscientists Canada). I also teach EASC 1000 – Earth Systems and EASC 7400 – Tectonic Regimes.