Jade Knighton
Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences
Jade Knighton (she/her) is a 1st year PhD student at UCLA studying geology as a member of the Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences. She hopes to use clumped isotope geochemistry to study Paleozoic and Mesozoic vertebrate fossils. Jade earned her BS in Geosciences from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2017, and her MS in Environmental Geosciences from Mississippi State University in 2019. Her undergraduate work involved studying gemstones and microfossils using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). After she completed her MS, Jade spent some time as an instructor of geology and soil science at a small private university in Orange County. At UCLA, she is a Eugene V. Cota-Robles Fellow and hopes to use her experiences to pursue a career in academia as a professor. She believes strongly in values such as mentorship, environmental justice, and community, and acts on these by mentoring undergraduates and by collaborating with other CDLS members and supporting their work. When she's not working, Jade enjoys music, videogames, and watching horror and action movies.