Hector Garza

I am a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Texas at Austin, enrolled in the Jackson School of Geosciences. I earned my B.S. in Geology from UT Austin in 2016 and subsequently gained several years of industry experience specializing in reservoir characterization using geochemistry. During this time, I also managed an XRD laboratory, where my primary research focus was on clay minerals. My research interests span a wide range of disciplines, including geochemistry, geochronology, paleontology, stratigraphy, and sedimentology, aimed at comprehensively understanding major geological and evolutionary events in Earth’s history. I utilize various analytical instruments in my research, such as XRD, XRF, SEM, LA-ICP-MS, ICP-MS, and ID-TIMS. Currently, my Ph.D. project revolves around investigating the precise timing of early land colonization and the radiation of early life during the Paleozoic period (Ordovician-Carboniferous). Additionally, I am keen on exploring the systematic biases associated with U-Pb dating techniques and developing strategies to enhance results accuracy and precision.