Isabel Montañez

Isabel Montañez is an American paleoclimatologist and geologist at the University of California, Davis, known for using isotope geochemistry to reconstruct ancient atmospheric CO₂ concentrations and climate dynamics during Paleozoic glaciations. Her research integrates field studies of ancient soils and marine carbonates with geochemical modeling. She was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2021.

Isabel Montañez is a distinguished professor at the University of California, Davis, in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. She has been affiliated with UC Davis for much of her career. She has also served as president of the Geological Society of America.

Montañez's research focuses on the Paleozoic Era, particularly the late Paleozoic ice age, roughly 300 million years ago, and the associated fluctuations in atmospheric CO₂. She has also studied climate transitions during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. Her work helps calibrate models of how Earth's climate responds to greenhouse gas changes.

Yes, Isabel Montañez served as president of the Geological Society of America, one of the largest geological professional societies in the world. She has also been involved in National Academy of Sciences committees on climate and Earth history. Her leadership extends to advising federal science agencies.