Dorothy J. Vesper is a Professor of Geology at West Virginia University. She has a B.S. degree (Geology) from Juniata College, and M.S. (Environmental Pollution Control) and Ph.D. (Geosciences) degrees from Penn State. She’s broadly trained as a geochemist and hydrogeologist with a focus on applied problems. Her perspective stems from a combination of geochemistry research and more than 10 years in the environmental consulting industry. Dr. Vesper’s current research is focused on aqueous and sediment geochemistry in both karst settings and coal mines. Active projects look at contaminant fate and transport in karst terrains, the geochemistry of cave sediments, carbon and rare-earth element fluxes from coal mines, and springs in the Appalachian Valley and Ridge Province. Her involvement with KWI has included being a board member (2009-2021), acting as Vice President of the Institute for Education and Outreach (2021-2026), co-chairing two conferences (Karst, Groundwater Contamination & Public Health 2016; Appalachian Karst Symposium 2025), and chairing the nominations committee (2025-2026).
