Hydrogeologist, Geomorphologist Joins Geosciences Department

Photo Submitted

Matt Covington in Cueva J2, Mexico. Photo by Marcin Gala and Kasia Biernacka.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences has announced that University of Arkansas alumnus Matthew D. Covington will return to the university this fall as an assistant professor in the department of geosciences.

“Even as an undergraduate student Dr. Covington had a love for caves, karst hydrogeology and geomorphology,” said Ralph Davis, professor of geosciences and chair of the department. “Once he completed his Ph.D., he continued his passion and is currently completing his second postdoc position exploring and modeling the deepest caves in the world.”

Covington has applied his foundation in physics to the understanding of landforms, their history and the dynamics that create them, and to the study of water flow and transport in groundwater systems. Most recently, he has conducted projects examining flow conditions and erosion in cave streams at the Karst Research Institute in Slovenia as a National Science Foundation International Research Fellow. Previously, he was a National Science Foundation Earth Sciences Postdoctoral Fellow researching transport and heat flow through karst aquifers at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

“It’s great to come back to Fayetteville,” said Covington. “I’ve learned so much through my graduate studies and my time overseas, and I’m excited to bring that knowledge back to the University of Arkansas, where my interest in caves and karst first began to bud.”

Covington’s publication record includes nine peer-reviewed articles with more in preparation. He has presented his research at a dozen conferences around the world and has given invited lectures at Louisiana State University, Technische Universität Dresden in Germany, and Université de Neuchâtel in Switzerland.

Covington also works to raise awareness about cave science and preservation. He has developed numerous presentations for students from elementary school through college ages on cave science and exploration. Beginning during his undergraduate years at the University of Arkansas, Covington has participated in numerous cave expeditions all over the world and recently co-led an expedition to Cueva J2 in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Covington is a member of the American Geophysical Union and has served on their Hydrology Groundwater Technical Committee since 2010. He is also a member of the Geological Society of America, the National Speleological Society and the Minnesota Ground Water Association.

Covington graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of science in physics and a bachelor of arts in philosophy from the University of Arkansas (2002). He earned a doctorate in physics from the University of California-Santa Cruz (2008).