Joaquin Ruiz

Joaquin received his B.S. (1977) in Geology and Chemistry from the University of Miami, M.S. (1980), and Ph.D. (1983) in Geology both from the University of Michigan. He was Assistant Professor at the University of Miami from 1982-1983. In 1983, he joined the University of Arizona Geosciences Department as Assistant Professor. Dr. Ruiz was promoted to Associate Professor in 1989 and Professor in 1993, serving as head of the Department of Geosciences from 1995 to 2000. He served as Dean of the College of Science from 2000-2019, Executive Dean of the College of Letters, Arts and Science from 2009-2018, and Vice President of Innovation from 2013-2019. He was appointed Vice President of Global Environmental Futures in 2019 and has served as the Thomas R. Brown Chair and Director of Biosphere 2 since 2013. He is a member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences and was named a National Researcher by the Mexican government in 2010. He has been recognized for his outstanding scientific contributions and efforts to enhance Mexico's scientific and technological capacity. In 2018, the Mexican Secretary of State named Dr. Ruiz one of forty distinguished Mexican citizens living abroad who have brought distinction to the country. As a scientist with equal abilities in chemistry and geology, Dr. Ruiz addresses many first-order problems in the Earth Sciences, such as the development of new isotope systems for studying ore deposits and the tectonic processes involved in the growth and evolution of Mexico. His research team addresses problems ranging from the origins of life to present-day climate change.