Liz Miller earned her BS in Geology from SES in 2006 and her MS from Johns Hopkins University. Liz is now a scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, NM.
Contact: Liz.E.Miller [at] gmail.com
"My time as a geology student at OSU taught me to have fun while working hard, which is the philosophy that I still apply to my life today!"
Where has your degree taken you?
After graduating from Ohio State, I moved to Baltimore to attend graduate school at Johns Hopkins University. I always assumed that I would complete my Ph.D., but after getting my Masters, I needed a break from school and research. A fellow Ohio State alum had moved to Los Alamos, and after visiting the small town in the mountains of northern New Mexico, I knew it was time for me to move away from the East Coast and try something new! I interviewed and was selected for a Post-Masters position at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). After a 1-year Post-Masters position, I was offered a permanent staff member position with the Earth and Environmental Sciences Division at LANL. In 2022, after 14 years with the Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, I transferred to LANL’s Intelligence and Systems Analysis Group.
Most of my time at LANL is spent studying the role of geology in nuclear test signatures and detection. I get to spend time doing both field and office work, and it’s really exciting to apply to geology to real-world problems!
How do you feel your experience, specifically as an SES/geology student at OSU, prepared you for your career or life in general?
My time as a geology student at OSU taught me to have fun while working hard, which is the philosophy that I still apply to my life today!
What is your favorite memory as a student?
My favorite memory of my time at Ohio State was being given the opportunity to go to Antarctica with Berry Lyons and his research group! Field camp is a close “second favorite”.
What advice do you have for current and future students?
There’s a few things:
- Take advantage of all of the awesome SES professors – talk with them about their research, ask questions, etc.
- Volunteer for research projects as often as possible – you never know where they might lead you!
- Network as much as possible! You never know how the relationships you’re building today might help in the future