Jennifer McIntosh receives inaugural Dr. Thomas Meixner Endowed Professorship in Hydrology & Atmospheric Sciences
Dr. Meixner recruited Dr. McIntosh to the University of Arizona in 2006 and mentored her in establishment of their joint hydrochemistry laboratory.
Dr. Jennifer McIntosh has been appointed the inaugural Dr. Thomas Meixner Endowed Professor in Hydrology & Atmospheric Sciences (HAS). In consultation with the Meixner family, Dr. McIntosh was appointed to the position by College of Science Dean Carmala Garzione and HAS Head Peter Troch.
Among her many roles at the University of Arizona, Dr. McIntosh serves as a University Distinguished Scholar, Professor, and Associate Head of HAS. She is also a professor of Geosciences at the U of A and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Saskatchewan.
“Being the inaugural Thomas Meixner Endowed Professor is deeply meaningful for me,” said Dr. McIntosh. “Tom was a dear mentor, co-teacher, and close research collaborator of mine. I am extremely grateful to Kathleen, Sean, and Brendan Meixner and their extended family for their immense support of HAS. I hope to encourage others in the way that Tom created opportunities and connections for so many of those around him and give back to our local community through research, education, and outreach.”
Dr. McIntosh conducting research on local wetlands geochemistry with a University of Arizona class in 2023.
Dr. Meixner recruited Dr. McIntosh to U of A in 2006 and mentored her in establishment of their joint hydrochemistry laboratory. They developed and co-taught Fundamentals of Water Quality, a core course for students in HAS and across campus, and served on each other’s student committees. They also conducted research together on watershed biogeochemistry in mountains across Arizona and New Mexico to protect the water towers that provide water for our cities.
“Our family is proud that Dr. Jennifer McIntosh has been appointed as the inaugural Dr. Thomas Meixner Endowed Professor,” said Kathleen Meixner. “Tom highly respected Dr. McIntosh as a colleague, fellow teacher, and friend. Her impact on the field of hydrogeochemistry is profound, and we hope that this professorship will continue to support her outstanding work and contributions to her field and community.”
Dr. McIntosh’s groundbreaking research focuses on the hydrochemistry of fresh to saline fluids from the earth’s surface to kilometers-depth. She uses chemistry and isotopes to unravel the origin, flow paths, and ages of groundwater and how it interacts with rocks and sediments and supports microbial activity. Her work is contributing to our understanding of groundwater and mineral resources, including lithium and other critical elements, storage of energy by-products like carbon dioxide and spent nuclear fuel, and natural geologic sources of contamination.
As a result of her extensive research, Dr. McIntosh has published 118 peer-reviewed papers in leading international journals. The impact of her work has garnered high citations (H-index of 46). McIntosh is a fellow of the Geological Society of America and CIFAR Earth4D: Subsurface Science & Exploration Program. She has also received numerous awards for her research, teaching, and student mentoring, including the 2021 Fred L. and Frances J. Oliver Lectureship in Texas Hydrology and Water Resources at the Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas-Austin, US Geological Survey Star Award, and Blitzer Award for teaching physics-related sciences.
As part of her educational outreach efforts, Dr. McIntosh met with elementary students in southern Arizona to teach them about groundwater.
“I can't think of anyone more deserving than Jen to receive this honor,” said Dr. Troch. “Her research and teaching closely align with Tom's expertise, and together they have established HAS as a world leader in hydrogeochemistry and water quality.”
Dr. McIntosh regularly serves as a technical expert for the US EPA, National Academies of Sciences, Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board, and International Atomic Energy Agency. Many of the students and postdoctoral fellows she has advised, of which a large number come from diverse backgrounds and under-represented groups, have gone on to positions in academia, government agencies, and environmental consulting. In addition, Dr. McIntosh is dedicated to education and public outreach, leading a K-12 program at Flandrau Science Center and visiting local classrooms to teach hands-on groundwater activities.
"Dr. Jennifer McIntosh is both talented and passionate as a researcher, teacher, mentor, and academic leader, embodying the very same impacts that Thomas Meixner had on our community," said Dr. Carmala Garzione, Dean of the College of Science. "Dr. Meixner would be honored to know that Jen is the inaugural holder of this professorship."
To learn more about the Department of Hydrology & Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Arizona, click here.