Queen's is bringing back graduate from US to teach geological engineering

Dr. Gabriel Walton is currently a professor at the Colorado School of Mines and a recipient of the Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs of Canada.

A geological engineer working in the United States is coming home to Kingston.

Dr. Gabriel Walton is the recipient of the Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs of Canada. He will be teaching at Queen's University in the Department of Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering starting in summer 2027.

The chair will provide $8 million in federal funding over eight years to support the work.  

Walton says Queen's one the best universities in Canada in that field.

Walton graduated from Queen's in 2014 with a PhD in geological engineering. He then moved to Golden, Colorado the following year working at the Colorado School of Mines as a professor and associate department head.

Walton says during his time there he also collaborated with the Colorado Department of Transportation on some projects.

Walton is one of 64 recipients of the inaugural Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs of Canada, part of a $1-billion federal investment in to the recruitment of internationally recognized researchers working abroad. This program aims to strengthen Canada’s research and innovation capacity, economic security and sovereignty.

Walton says this funding gave him a chance to return to a place he is very familiar with.

During his time at the Colorado School of Mines, Walton discovered that there was more focus placed on developing STEM researchers.

Walton and his team at Queen's will focus on building a more complete picture of slope hazards. They will look at how slopes fail and how they respond to both sudden and longer-term environmental changes. 

Story by Ken Hashizume