Office of the Director

Steven L. Goldstein has been Interim Director of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) since August 2023. He is the Higgins Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences and a member of LDEO’s Geochemistry Division.

Professor Goldstein's research uses the products of natural radioactive decay to address a wide range of topics from the early history of the Earth to mantle and continent evolution, to volcanic processes, to ocean circulation and recent climate change. He has published more than 185 peer-reviewed papers.

Professor Goldstein is a recipient of the American Geophysical Union’s Norman L. Bowen Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the fields of volcanology, geochemistry, and petrology, and is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the Geochemical Society/European Association of Geochemistry.

At Columbia, he is a recipient of the Lenfest Distinguished Faculty Award, the Great Teacher Award from the Society of Columbia Graduates, and the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Graduate Student Committee of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Professor Goldstein's previous leadership positions have included Director of the Division of Earth Sciences at the National Science Foundation, Chair of Columbia’s Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and Associate Director of LDEO, leading its Geochemistry Division.