Duane Froese, PhD, MSc, BSc

Area of Study / Keywords

Permafrost northern environmental change Beringia Quaternary geoscience

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About

Positions

2014-  Professor, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta

2010-2020  Canada Research Chair in Northern Environmental Change (renewed November 2015- October 2020)

2003-2014 Assistant/Associate Professor, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta

Awards and Recognition

2025  Canadian Permafrost Association and Canadian Geotechnical Society Mackay Lecture Award

2016 Elected to the College of New Scholars, Scientists and Artists of the Royal Society of Canada

2013  Geological Association of Canada W.W. Hutchison Medal

2011  Faculty of Science Research Award (University of Alberta)

2006 Alberta Ingenuity New Faculty Award

2006 Canadian Geomorphology Research Group J. Ross Mackay Award

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Research

The focus of our group’s research is on permafrost and the impacts climate change on its stability, centred regionally, in northwestern Canada.  We are particularly interested in permafrost and how it has responded in the past, and is responding today, to climate change.  This involves a mix of studies of the geologic setting of permafrost, community hazards and mapping of permafrost change.

Students and researchers who work in the lab study diverse problems using an equally diverse set of approaches. In keeping with this, much of our research is strongly interdisciplinary with ongoing collaborations with several groups working in engineering, ecology, evolutionary biology, microbiology, geophysics, geochemistry, soil science and paleoecology. Much of northern research, and in particular understanding environmental change, requires diverse points of view and these collaborations, including our work with indigenous groups in northern Canada,  provide our group with expertise to tackle these problems.

At present, I co-lead Theme 1 Characterization of Ground Ice within PermafrostNet where we are looking to develop better laboratory and field estimates of ground ice, and improve our understanding of how permafrost thaws at a landscape scale.  Several students in my group work on this project, and it is a central activity of our newly built Permafrost ArChives Science Laboratory (PACS Lab).  PACS is a $4M facility dedicated to the characterization and analysis of permafrost materials, including non-destructive methods (computed tomography and multi-sensor core scanning), clean labs for biogeochemical and ancient DNA sampling and extractions, and analytical facilities (elemental, isotopic and physical samples).  The facility is a multi-user facility with faculty from EAS, BioSci, Renewable Resources and Engineering.

In the news

Schmidt Science Foundation Permafrost Carbon Feedback research

Ancient ice as an archive of our natural history

CMOS Lecture: Permafrost is a grand challenge for Canada lecture

Older news

Alberta Archaeology and Peopling of the New World

http://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/edmonton-a-gateway-city-for-13000-years-bison-fossils-show-u-of-a-researchers

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/06/humans-didn-t-wait-melting-ice-settle-americas

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/bison-fossils-people-1.3619065

Mammoth Extinction on St. Paul Island

http://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/university-of-alberta-researchers-investigate-mammoth-extinction-on-remote-island

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/mammoths-st-paul-island-1.3705734

http://discovermagazine.com/2016/nov/mammoth-island

Ancient genome record from Yukon permafrost

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/canadian-horse-shatters-fossil-genome-record/article12846985/

Ancient Permafrost

http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080918/full/news.2008.1119.html

EAS 110 - Earth Science Field School

This excursion through the mountains and prairies of Alberta introduces students to the diverse geology and geomorphology of the region. The structure of rocks will be observed, fossils identified, and glacial deposits studied, in order to understand the geological processes that have occurred here over geologic time. Requires payment of additional student instructional support fees. Refer to the Tuition and Fees page in the University Regulations section of the Calendar. Intended for students in their first or second year. Not available to students with previous credit in an EAS field school (EAS 234, 354, or 333). Prerequisite: One of EAS 100, 101, 201, 210 or SCI 100. [Faculty of Science]

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EAS 225 - Earth Surface Processes and Landforms

Geomorphological processes and landform analysis with special reference to the landscape of Alberta. Fieldwork required. Prerequisite: One of EAS 100, 101, 102, 201, 210 or SCI 100. [Faculty of Science]

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Browse more courses taught by Duane Froese

Mahya Roustaei, Joel Pumple, Jordan Harvey, Duane Froese

The Cryosphere. 2025 October; 19 (10):4259-4275 10.5194/tc-19-4259-2025

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Scott L. Cocker, Diana Tirlea, Evan Francis, Svetlana Kuzmina, Grant D. Zazula, Duane G. Froese

Quaternary Research. 2025 October; 10.1017/qua.2025.10032

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Alistair J Monteath, Mary E Edwards, Duane Froese, Lesleigh Anderson, Benjamin V Gaglioti, Scott L Cocker, Julie Brigham-Grette, Matthew J Wooller, Bruce Finney, Mark B Abbott

Quaternary Science Reviews. 2025 July; 368 10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109527

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Thomas A Douglas, Amanda J Barker, Alistair J Monteath, Duane G Froese

Environmental Research Letters. 2025 February; 10.1088/1748-9326/ada16b

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Joseph M. Young, Alejandro Alvarez, Jurjen van der Sluijs, Steven V. Kokelj, Ashley Rudy, Alex McPhee, Benjamin J. Stoker, Martin Margold, Duane Froese

Geophysical Research Letters. 2022 December; 10.1029/2022GL100559

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Alistair J. Monteath, Benjamin V. Gaglioti, Mary E. Edwards, Duane Froese

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2021 December; 10.1073/pnas.2107977118

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Tyler J. Murchie, Alistair J. Monteath, Matthew E. Mahony, George S. Long, Scott Cocker, Tara Sadoway, Emil Karpinski, Grant Zazula, Ross D. E. MacPhee, Duane Froese, Hendrik N. Poinar

Nature Communications. 2021 December; 10.1038/s41467-021-27439-6

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Environmental Research Letters. 2021 January; 10.1088/1748-9326/abd971

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TJ Porter, SW Schoenemann, LJ Davies, EJ Steig, S Bandara, DG Froese

Nature Communications. 2019 April; 10

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View additional publications

• Froese group website
• Google Scholar Publications (most up to date)