National Cave and Karst Research Institute

Carlsbad, New Mexico | Conduct, support, facilitate, and promote programs in cave and karst research, education, environmental management, and data acquisition and sharing.

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Academic Program

Cave and karst research covers a wide range of diverse disciplines within the physical, biological and social sciences.

Cave & Karst Studies

The Cave and Karst Studies Program at New Mexico Tech offers graduate and undergraduate students to pursue their interest in the scientific study of caves and karst terrains. “Tech” is NCKRI’s primary academic partner and provides the scholarly foundation of NCKRI. The Cave and Karst Studies program is based in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES), which has strong core programs in geology, hydrology, geochemistry, and geobiology that support students interested in diverse karst research.

The Program provides research fellowships for Tech undergraduates interested in cave and karst research, and NCKRI seed funding is available for Tech faculty to initiate new cave and karst research. Cave and Karst Studies also hosts a regular seminar series and other events at Tech.

The Cave and Karst Studies Program is managed by Dr. Daniel Jones, NCKRI’s Academic Director and an Assistant Professor in the EES Department at NMT. Opportunities for graduate students may be available in Dr. Daniel Jones’s Geobiology group or with other Tech faculty. Dr. Jones also manages NCKRI’s national grant program, which seeks to catalyze cave science at other institutions.

Please email Dr. Jones with questions about the program and cave and karst research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students at New Mexico Tech. You can also find additional information on the Cave and Karst Studies Program at the Earth and Environmental Science website.