Department of Earth and Environmental Science

Benjamin P Horton

Assistant Professor
Department of Earth and Environmental Science
University of Pennsylvania
240 S. 33rd Street
Hayden Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6316

Tel. (215) 5735388
Fax: (215) 8985724
E-mail: bphorton@sas.upenn.edu

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Education

1989-1992: BA Honors in Geography, University of Liverpool, UK.
1994-1998: PhD in Geography, University of Durham, UK.

Professional Experience

July 2004: Assistant Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania, USA.
2000-2004: Lecturer in Geography, Environmental Research Centre, Department of Geography, University of Durham, UK.
1998-2000: Senior Research Associate, Environmental Research Centre, Department of Geography, University of Durham, UK.

Honors and Awards

1. Geological Society of America’s The W. Storrs Cole Memorial Research Award for contributions to micropaleontology (2007).
2. Guest Editor of a Quaternary Science Reviews Special Publication: Land Ocean Interactions (2009).
3. Associate Editor of Journal of Foraminiferal Research (2008-present).
4. Joint Chair of American Quaternary Association (AMQUA) Biennial Meeting ‘Quaternary Ice Sheet-Ocean Interactions and Landscape Responses’ (2008).
5. Member of the Review Panel for the Helmholtz Program “Geosystem: the changing Earth” (2009-2013).
6. Invited convener of the Geological Society of America’s Pardee Keynote Symposia Proposal ‘Holocene Sea-level Change in North America: A Post-Katrina Assessment’ (2006).
7. Honorary Research Fellow, Department of Geography, University of Durham, UK (2004-present).
8. The Linnean Society (UK) Award for contributions to biology, and particularly biological diversity and evolution (2004).
9. The Higher Education Funding Council for England Excellence in Teaching Award (2003).
10. Menzies Australian Bicentennial Award for promoting scholarship, intellectual links, and mutual awareness and understanding between the United Kingdom and Australia (2001).

Scholarly or Professional Societies

American Geophysical Union, Geological Society of America, Cushman Foundation, Royal Geographical Society, Quaternary Research Association, Linnean Society, British Ecological Society and Micropaleontological Society.

Major Research Grants

United States National Science Foundation

1. Holocene sea-level change from the Caribbean: implications for geophysical modeling and ocean-climate interactions; PI with Toscano; ; 2009-2011.
2. Megathrust Paleogeodesy at the central Cascadia subduction zone; PI with Witter and Nelson; 2009-2011.
3. Northern Sumatra; PI with Kelsey and Rubin; 2007-2011.
4. Atlantic Coast of the United States: Implications for glacial isostatic adjustment models and current rates of sea-level change; PI with Törnqvist and Hill; 2007-2009.
5. Morbihan Golfe, Brittany France; PI; 2007-2008.
6. Indian Ocean Tsunami – Environmental and socio-economic impacts on the Malay-Thai Peninsula;  Human and Social Dynamics priority area, the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation Program in the Engineering Directorate, and the Office of International Science and Engineering; PI; 2005-2006.

Other United States funding bodies

1. Earthwatch Student Challenge Awards Program. Is Sea Level Rising? PI; 2007-2010.
2. United States Geological Survey. Subduction-zone paleogeodesy at Cascadia; PI with Nelson; 2006-2007.
3. National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration. Shore-Zone Dynamics in Response to Sea-level Rising North Carolina Estuaries; PI with Corbett; 2005-2008.
4. North Carolina Cooperative Research Program. Late Quaternary relative sea-level changes, Outer Banks, North Carolina; PI; 2005-2008.
5. University Research Foundation, University of Pennsylvania. High Resolution records of relative sea-level change using a foraminiferal transfer function; PI; 2005-2006.

Overseas funding

1. British Geological Survey University Funding Initiative. Holocene sea level change from the Thames estuary: implication for geophysical modeling and ocean-climate interactions; PI with Vane; 2009-2011.
2. Department of Environment and Conservation, New South Wales, Australia. Wetland response to natural and anthropogenic forcing, Gwydir Wetlands, Australia; PI; 2007–2008.

Previous funding (University of Durham, UK)

Earthquakes and associated land/sea level changes of Eastern Hokkaido, Northern Japan; University of Durham Research Foundation/Dawai Foundation award/Geological Survey of Japan; 2004 – 2007. Sea-level changes and crustal movements in Ireland; Enterprise Ireland; 2003-2006. Constraining the amplitude and timing of the mid Holocene highstand, Great Barrier Reef Coastline, Australia; NERC; 2002-2005. Statistical Methodology for the Estimation of Former Sea Levels; EPSRC; 2002-2005. Sea-level change and coastal evolution: impacts on Wakatobi National Park, Indonesia; NERC/Operation Wallacea Ltd 2000-2005. Late Holocene paleoseismicity and associated land/sea changes in the greater Anchorage area; US Geological Survey; 2001-2003. Quaternary Environmental Change; Associazione Nazionale Addestramento Professionale, Italy; European Union; 2001- 2002.