Colin Jackson
Assistant Professor
Education & Affiliations
Biography
Dr. Colin Jackson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Tulane University. He earned his Ph.D. in Geological Sciences from Brown University in 2014 and a B.S. in Earth Science from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2008. Before joining Tulane in 2019, Dr. Jackson held research positions at the Smithsonian Institution and the Carnegie Institution for Science, where he specialized in experimental petrology and planetary geochemistry.
At Tulane, Dr. Jackson directs the High Temperature and Pressure (HiTaP) Laboratory, which investigates the chemical reactions that shape planetary interiors by recreating the extreme conditions found deep within Earth and other rocky bodies. His research focuses on solid Earth geochemistry and petrology, high-pressure and high-temperature synthesis, and planetary science, with particular interest in volatile element cycling and core formation processes.
Dr. Jackson’s work has been published in leading journals such as Nature and Earth and Planetary Science Letters. He is the recipient of a National Science Foundation Early Career Award for his research on subduction zone chemistry and his commitment to STEM education. Through this award, he is developing innovative curricula for high school and college students and training graduate researchers in advanced geochemical techniques.
Fellowships
- AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow (STPF)
- 2024–2025: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains
- 2025–2026: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains
Research
Dr. Jackson's research interests include Solid Earth geochemistry and petrology, high temperature and pressure synthesis, and Planetary Science.
Contributions
Sita, M., Osorio, M., Jackson, C., & Mukhopadhyay, S. (2025). Modeling the early Earth: Core formation in the nebular era does not guarantee a high 3He/4He ratio. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta.
Heck, W. F., Herrmann, A. D., & Jackson, C. R. (2025). Experimental degassing of moderately volatile chalcophile elements from silicate melt with and without sulfur present. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta.
Karki, B. B., Jackson, C., Mallick, E., Shakya, A., Ghosh, D. B., & Morra, G. (2025). A comparative study of nitrogen incorporation in silicate, metallic, and bulk earth melts at high pressure. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 671, 119653.
Mallick, E., Prissel, K., Righter, K., & Jackson, C. R. (2025). The fate of nitrogen in deep magma oceans. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 394, 298-318.
Jackson, C. R., Williams, C. D., Du, Z., Bennett, N. R., Mukhopadhyay, S., & Fei, Y. (2021). Incompatibility of argon during magma ocean crystallization. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 553, 116598.
