Michael Perfit

Dr. Perfit is a Distinguished Professor of Geological Sciences at the University of Florida where he has worked since 1982. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed technical papers and articles in professional scientific publications and has been a principal investigator on numerous research grants from the National Science Foundation and NOAA. His research has focused on the petrogenesis of mid-ocean ridge basalts, island arc lavas, magma genesis, and oceanic spreading centers. He has taken more than 40 dives to depths up to 12,000 feet in the deep-sea submersible ALVIN during his research. He has participated on over 20 oceanographic research cruises and served as co-chief scientist on several more. He earned a B.S. in Geology at St. Lawrence University and an M.Phil. and PhD in Marine Geology and Geochemistry from Columbia University (Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory) He is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America and the American Geophysical Union.