Title: Geological Consultant
Location: Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Robert B. Blodgett, geological consultant from Anchorage, Alaska, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Scientists for dedication, achievements, and leadership in geology and consultancy.
With over four and a half decades of experience to his credit, Mr. Blodgett has established a successful career in geology and consultancy, specializing in paleontology, stratigraphy, and petroleum exploration. Since 1995, he has excelled as a self-employed geological consultant. His responsibilities over the years include physically demanding tasks like handling acid baths in labs or sheds, often under harsh conditions that required wearing vapor masks. Today, his focus is on examining fossils and managing collections, often for oil company contracts. Much of his time is spent writing up data and photographing specimens. While he used to rely on black-and-white images, technological advancements now allow him to produce color photographs, using tools like Photoshop to enhance images. He is especially impressed with how modern smartphones can rival traditional cameras, making the process of capturing high-quality fossil images much simpler and more efficient.
Mr. Blodgett’s experience also includes working as a geologist and paleontologist with the U.S. Geological Survey from 1988 to 1995, and he contributes to the industry through articles, professional journals, and mentoring graduate students, along with outreach programs for geology. He has served as president of the Alaska Geological Society and is a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists and the Mexican Paleontological Society. Laying a solid educational foundation, he earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Alaska in 1975, followed by a Master of Science in 1978, and a PhD from Oregon State University in 1987. He also completed postdoctoral work through a Humboldt Fellowship at the University of Goettingen in Germany. One of his most significant achievements is his research on Alaska’s accreted terranes, revealing that many of these landmasses originated from eastern Siberia rather than North America. He also created the Alaska paleontological database, the only government-funded online resource with 25,000 records, widely used in stratigraphy and paleontology studies.
Mr. Blodgett attributes his success to his extensive publication record. In the coming years, Dr. Blodgett plans to continue his current work while exploring opportunities in Canada, particularly within energy geology. He aims to strengthen his collaborations with Canadian entities, including the Yukon Geological Survey, which has sent him contracts despite his not being on their payroll. While remaining active in geological societies, he will allow others to take on leadership roles, focusing instead on sustaining his research, expanding his network, and contributing to ongoing projects. He advises aspiring professionals to seek out excellent instructors and trustworthy mentors, emphasizing the importance of collaborating with individuals who have strong moral principles.
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