I’m Marc J. Defant, a professor of geology and geochemistry at the University of South Florida, with a research career that spans volcanology, Earth history, and—more recently—evolutionary psychology and the public misuse of science. I’ve published peer-reviewed work in both the physical sciences and psychology, examining topics such as patriarchy, social constructionism, the gender pay gap, and the methodological weaknesses underlying much of contemporary feminist scholarship.
My research has also focused on how Earth’s continents formed and more recently, evidence for an impact at the Younger-Dryas Boundary approximately 13,800 years ago. I identified and named a rock type -- adakite -- that provides a rare modern analog for the granitic continental crust that formed over 2.5 billion years ago. That work has been funded by organizations including the National Science Foundation, National Geographic, the American Chemical Society, and the National Academy of Sciences, and published in journals such as Nature. I’ve served as Editor of Geology and Associate Editor of the Journal of Geophysical Research, and I’ve been invited to speak at institutions including MIT, Columbia, UCLA, Woods Hole, and others worldwide.
In recent years, I’ve shifted much of my public work toward science communication—especially how scientific concepts are distorted in modern cultural and political debates. I’m the author of Voyage of Discovery: From the Big Bang to the Ice Age, a popular-science book that traces the origins of the universe, Earth, and human civilization. I’ve written for Skeptic, Free Inquiry, Aporia, and Popular Science, and I’ve appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience, the Dinesh D’Souza Podcast, and several other shows.
Potential conversation topics could include:
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How evolutionary biology is misused -- or ignored -- in contemporary debates about gender and social policy
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What volcanology and deep time tell us about how continents form
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Why some modern academic fields struggle with replication, rigor, and ideological capture
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Why we may be alone in the galaxy (a topic of my TEDx talk)
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What it was like conducting scientific fieldwork in places like the Kamchatka Peninsula during the late Soviet era
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The history of the universe, earth, and life.
If this sounds like a fit for your audience, I’d be happy to come on and adapt the discussion to the themes you’re most interested in exploring.
Thanks for your time, and I appreciate the work you do.
Best regards,
Marc J. Defant
Professor of Geology & Geochemistry
University of South Florida
Marc J. Defant is a professor of geology and geochemistry at the University of South Florida whose work spans the physical sciences and evolutionary psychology. In recent years, he has published several peer-reviewed articles in psychology journals examining the patriarchy, social constructionism, the gender pay gap, and the methodological weaknesses underlying much of contemporary feminist scholarship. Before turning his attention to the misuse and misunderstanding of science in society, Defant built a distinguished research career in volcanology – focusing especially on the origin of the continental crust. I am currently also working on evidence that suggests there were several impacts at the Younger-Dryas Boundary approximately 13,800 years ago.
A major contribution of his geological research is the discovery and definition of a rock type he named adakite, produced in certain modern volcanic arcs. Adakite provides a rare contemporary analog to the granitic continental crust formed more than 2.5 billion years ago, offering insights into how Earth’s early continents were generated.
Defant has received funding from the National Science Foundation, National Geographic, the American Chemical Society, and the National Academy of Sciences, and has published in leading scientific journals including Nature. His popular-science book Voyage of Discovery: From the Big Bang to the Ice Age complements numerous articles he has written for Skeptic, Free Inquiry, Aporia, and Popular Science. He has also appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience, the Dinesh D’Souza Podcast, along with several other podcasts.
He has served as Editor of Geology and Associate Editor of the Journal of Geophysical Research and has been an invited speaker at institutions such as MIT, Columbia University, Université de Bretagne (Brest, France), UCLA, the University of Georgia, the University of Tennessee, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The Chinese government invited him as a keynote speaker at a symposium on continental crust formation.
As one of the first American scientists permitted to work in the remote and militarily sensitive Kamchatka Peninsula during the late Soviet era, Defant conducted pioneering research through a joint grant between the Soviet Academy of Sciences and the National Science Foundation. His fieldwork has also taken him to Costa Rica, Greece, Indonesia, the Lesser Antilles, Panama, and the Philippines. He has delivered a TEDx talk titled Why We Are Alone in the Galaxy.
In addition to academic research, Defant has consulted internationally on gold and diamond geology for De Beers, Placer Dome, Falconbridge, Anglo American, Aurcana Gold, Diamond Fields, and other mining companies in West Africa and Russia.
