Daniel J. May, Ph.D.

Education

B.S., Geology, Stanford University (1978)
Ph.D., Geology, University of California at Santa Barbara (1986)

About Daniel

Dan May currently teaches courses in environmental geosciences, engineering geology, and environmental health. He also coordinates the lab and field activities for the introduction to environmental science general education course. Prior to joining the faculty in 2020, he served from 2013-2020 as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of New Haven.

In a 40+ year career as a geologist, Dan worked for the US Geologic Survey in mineral resource exploration and volcanic hazards assessment, for Conoco Oil Company in petroleum exploration research, and as a consultant for environmental remediation and engineering geology projects. He served on the faculty at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand, and in Ohio at Bowling Green State University and the University of Findlay; and conducted or directed field projects in more than a dozen US states as well as New Zealand and other south Pacific islands.

As a senior university administrator for nearly half his career, Dan served as a college dean and subsequently the chief academic officer at both Findlay and New Haven, and concluded his administrative roles with service as a Commissioner for the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).

Research Interests

Past activities included investigation of regional tectonic histories in the US Cordillera and New Zealand; remediation of contaminated soil, sediment and groundwater across the Midwest and eastern USA; contaminant fate & transport for wellhead protection in Ohio; QA/QC review of DOE facility cleanups; and risk modeling and management.

Active scholarship includes preparation of publicly accessible GIS-based story maps for local Connecticut watersheds and the petrogenesis of igneous rocks in California, Connecticut, and New York.

In the Media