Spotlight on Alumni: Dr. Catherine "Cat" Beck
M.S. Geological Sciences, 2011
Ph.D. Geological Sciences, 2015
From reconstructing ancient East African environments to mentoring the next generation of geoscientists, Dr. Catherine "Cat" Beck has built a career centered on understanding the landscapes that shaped primate and human evolution. Now an Associate Professor at Hamilton College, Beck credits Rutgers University with providing the foundation, mentorship, and field experiences that helped launch her academic career.
From Rutgers to the Turkana Basin
Since earning her Ph.D. from Rutgers in 2015, Beck has built a distinguished career as a researcher, educator, and academic leader. Immediately following graduation, she joined the faculty at Hamilton College, where she served as an Assistant Professor from 2015 to 2021, and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2021. She has also held several leadership roles, including Chair of the Department of Geosciences (2021–2024 and again beginning in 2026) and Co-Chair of Hamilton's Geoarchaeology Program since 2021.
Beck's research focuses on reconstructing the environments and climates in which our ancestors and primates more broadly evolved from the Miocene to
the present day. Her work is centered in the Turkana Basin of northern Kenya, a region that preserves some of the world's most important records of environmental change and human evolution. Using both outcrop and sediment core records, she combines sedimentology, stratigraphy, and multiproxy approaches, including stable isotope analyses of ostracods, to better understand ancient ecosystems and climatic conditions across eastern Africa. Her research program has continued to foster collaborations across institutions, including Rutgers. Most notably, she served as a co-principal investigator on the NSF-funded Turkana Miocene Project, working alongside several Rutgers faculty members and alumni.
Reflecting on her career path, Beck credits Rutgers and the mentorship she received there for helping her successfully transition from graduate school into a faculty career.
"I definitely credit my success in making that transition to my dissertation advisor Craig Feibel, who gave me both unwavering support during my graduate experience and also the space to make mistakes and learn from them."
A Memorable Rutgers Field Experience
One of Beck's favorite Rutgers memories comes from the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences' sequence stratigraphy course and its field excursion to Utah's Book Cliffs.
"One of my favorite memories while at Rutgers was going on the Book Cliffs field trip as part of the sequence stratigraphy course. It was incredibly exciting and fun to be at those outcrops with faculty and students and engage in discussions about their interpretations."
The experience combined hands-on fieldwork with lively scientific discussion, an opportunity Beck remembers as both educational and inspiring.
Staying Connected to the Rutgers Community
Although Beck moved directly from graduate school into a faculty position, her connection to Rutgers remains strong.
In recent years, she has particularly enjoyed collaborating with Rutgers students, faculty, and fellow alumni. Whether attending annual Geological Society of America alumni gatherings or participating in collaborative research projects, Beck values the professional and personal relationships she developed during her time at Rutgers.
One especially meaningful experience was serving as a co-principal investigator on the NSF-funded Turkana Miocene Project, where she collaborated with several Rutgers faculty members and alumni.
"I feel so lucky to have made the connections I have with other awesome geoscientists through my time at Rutgers."
The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences is proud to celebrate alumni like Dr. Catherine Beck, whose research, teaching, and leadership continue to advance the geosciences while strengthening the Rutgers community through ongoing collaboration and mentorship.