Michael Robert Rosen

Michael Robert Rosen, of Carson City, Nevada, passed away April 27, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, from complications following surgery for pancreatic cancer. He was 60.

At the time of his death, Michael was a research hydrologist at the United States Geological Survey, where he had served in numerous positions over the course of many years, including research hydrologist and water-quality-research specialist for the California Water Science Center (from 2019 until his death); research hydrologist for the Nevada Water Science Center (from 2001 to 2011) and water-quality specialist for the Water Mission Area (from 2011 to 2018). In addition, Michael was a member of the adjunct faculty at the Global Water Center of the University of Nevada, Reno. 

Michael worked on both groundwater and surface-water quality. He also studied paleoclimate, paleohydrology, and playas (seasonal lakes in desert regions). In 2010, Michael was elected a fellow of the Geological Society of America. He was the author or co-author of numerous scholarly papers on limnogeology, and had, most recently, co-edited a book of essays, Limnogeology: Progress, Challenges and Opportunities (Springer 2021), which was published two days before his death.

Before joining the U.S. Geological Survey, Michael worked at the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences in New Zealand; the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (in Perth, Australia); the Curtin University of Technology (also in Perth); and the University of Minnesota’s Limnological Research Center. Also, while pursuing his doctorate at the University of Texas at Austin, Michael did research for Arco Oil and Gas

Michael was the youngest of four sons of David and Gloria (Uhlmann) Rosen. Born in Philadelphia, he was raised in Swarthmore, where he attended the public K-12 schools, graduating from Swarthmore High School in 1978. As a child, he sometimes lived abroad with his family during his father’s sabbatical research leaves: in Glasgow, Scotland (from 1961 to 1962); Cambridge, England (from 1967 to 1968); and Cork, Ireland (from 1971 to 1972). Michael was a competitive soccer player both in high school and as an undergraduate at Haverford College, from which he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1982. After college, he received a Master of Science degree from the University of Rochester in New York (1984) and a doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin (1989); he then did postdoctoral research at the University of Minnesota.

Michael had a passion for hiking, music, and taking his family on birding adventures. He was an accomplished self-taught guitarist, singer, and songwriter in the British folk tradition. While living in New Zealand, he performed locally, with his wife Laura accompanying him on violin. He was a loving and devoted father and husband and a loyal brother, and he will be sorely missed by his family, his colleagues, his co-workers — and indeed by anyone who ever encountered his uplifting, cheerful, and genial spirit.

Michael is survived by his wife of 29 years, Laura Gibson; his children, Nick and Emma; his three brothers, Carl, Ralph, and Paul; and his brothers’ families. 

A memorial service is planned for a later date. In his memory, the Geological Society of America has established the Michael R. Rosen Research Award in Limnogeology and a fund to provide scholarships to its recipients. Contributions to this fund can be made here.