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Katherine (Kate) French is a research geochemist in the Central Energy Resources Science Center (CERSC) at the USGS in Denver, Colorado. She specializes in organic and petroleum geochemistry with a focus on hydrocarbon biomarkers in rocks, sediments, and oils.
Kate received a B.S. in chemistry from Yale University (2009), completed a Ph.D. in geochemistry from the MIT/WHOI joint program in oceanography (2014), and was an Agouron postdoctoral fellow at WHOI (2016). She started with the USGS in 2017 where she focuses on molecular characterization of sedimentary organic matter, developing improved analytical methods, and enhancing understanding of biomarkers in the sedimentary record. She has applied her research to geobiology of early Earth and Phanerozoic anoxia, organic matter transport from land to sea, and petroleum systems. She is a member of the Mars Sample Return Campaign Science Group (MCSG), which is a team that provides technical expertise to maximize the scientific potential of the Mars samples that would be returned to Earth as part of Mars Sample Return (MSR).
Research Geochemist at the Central Energy Resources Science Center (CERSC) at the USGS in Denver (2017-present)
Agouron Geobiology Postdoctoral Fellow at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI; 2015-2016)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in Oceanography (MIT/WHOI); Ph.D. in Geochemistry (2010-2014)
Fulbright Scholar in Germany at the Alfred Wegner Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI; 2009-2010)
Yale University; B.S. in Chemistry (2005-2009)
2025: Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering (PECASE)
2025: NASA Agency Honor Award
2015: Agouron Institute Geobiology Postdoctoral Fellowship
2015: Geochemical Society Organic Geochemistry Division Best Paper Award
2009: U.S. Student Fulbright Research Grant
2009: U.S. NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
This method identifies biomarkers in sedimentary organic matter, including rock extracts and petroleum, to provide insight into thermal maturity, depositional environment, reservoir characterization, oil-to-oil and oil-to-rock correlation, and source rock characterization.
This method identifies biomarkers in sedimentary organic matter, including rock extracts and petroleum, to provide insight into thermal maturity, depositional environment, reservoir characterization, oil-to-oil and oil-to-rock correlation, and source rock characterization.
This method identifies biomarkers in sedimentary organic matter, including rock extracts and petroleum, to provide insight into thermal maturity, depositional environment, reservoir characterization, oil-to-oil and oil-to-rock correlation, and source rock characterization.
This method identifies biomarkers in sedimentary organic matter, including rock extracts and petroleum, to provide insight into thermal maturity, depositional environment, reservoir characterization, oil-to-oil and oil-to-rock correlation, and source rock characterization.
