School of the EnvironmentScott Jess

Scott Jess

  1. Assistant Professor
Email Addressscott.jess@wsu.edu

Biography

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Education

  • Ph.D. University of Aberdeen, Scotland
  • BSc. University of Glasgow, Scotland

Class taught

  • SOE207: Field Skills for Earth Scientists
  • SOE320: Rivers, Reefs, and the Sedimentary Record
  • SOE518: Computing Essentials for Geoscience Graduates Students

Research Interests

I study how the surface of the earth is shaped on modern and geological timescales. This involves unraveling the effects of numerous earth systems including tectonics, rivers, glaciers, climate, and volcanism. I use a wide range of analytical tools in my research including thermochronology, geochronology, geomorphological analysis, cosmogenic nuclides, and geochemistry. Additionally, I am interested in understanding the demographics of modern geoscience, aiming improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field. Ongoing research themes include:

  • Landscape evolution in extensional tectonic regimes
  • Sediment transport in glacial systems
  • Method development for detrital geochronology and thermochronology
  • The application of drones to geomorphological analysis
  • The evolution of the North American Cordillera

Publications (5 most recent)

  • Haag, M.B., Schoenbohm, L.M., Wolpert, J., Jess, S., Bierman, P., Corbett, L., Sommer, C.A. and Endrizzi, G., 2025. Rock strength controls erosion in tectonically dead landscapes. Science Advances, 11(4), p.eadr2610.
  • Peace, A.L., Phethean, J.J., Jess, S. and Schiffer, C., 2024. Halokinetically Overprinted Tectonic Inversion of the Penobscot 3D Volume Offshore Nova Scotia, Canada. Pure and Applied Geophysics, 181(5), pp.1541-1570.
  • Jess, S., Gröger, H., Hendriks, B., Peace, A. and Schiffer, C., 2024. Compilation of apatite fission-track data from the Northeast Atlantic realm: A jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces. Lithosphere, 2023(Special 14), p.lithosphere_2023_285.
  • Damant, K.A., Enkelmann, E. and Jess, S., 2023. Prolonged post-orogenic extension in the southeastern Canadian Cordillera: Miocene reactivation of the Columbia River Fault. Tectonophysics, 850, p.229763.
  • Jess, S., Enkelmann, E. and Matthews, W., 2023. The Effect of Sediment Storage in Glaciated Catchments on Multimineral Detrital Geochronology: Deciphering Conflicting Zircon and Apatite U‐Pb Dates. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 128(1), p.e2022JF006738.