Jonathan 'Fred' McLaughlin

A Wyoming licensed Professional Geologist, Dr. J. Fred McLaughlin has spent most of his career evaluating the geologic and economic resources of Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain region.

In his early career, McLaughlin focused on field evaluation and developmental geology, primarily associated with energy resources. Later work focused on reservoir- to basin-scale evolution of rocks and fluids. Since joining the School of Energy Resources (SER) in 2012, his career and research focus has been supporting the commercial advancement of energy, carbon management and economic minerals industries across Wyoming. He was a founding member of the University of Wyoming’s (UW) Carbon Management Institute (now the Center for Economic Geology Research (CEGR)) at which he was responsible for developing technical programs and researching Wyoming’s energy resources. McLaughlin now serves as the Director for CEGR, a geotechnical research group that leads applied research programs in carbon management, oil and gas, critical minerals and rare earth elements. McLaughlin has been privileged to oversee and participate in some of SER’s largest sponsored field projects, including helping to drill several of Wyoming’s first Class VI wells.

McLaughlin has worked with public, private, and academic entities across the entirety of his career. He also has teaching and mentorship experience and currently serves on several graduate committees. McLaughlin earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. from the University of Wyoming in Geology.