Dr. Laura Ruhl-Whittle grew up in Monroe, Louisiana, and later moved to Ft. Myers, Florida. She received a BS and MS in Geological Sciences at the University of Florida, and a Ph.D. in Earth and Ocean Sciences at Duke University.
Prior to joining the USGS, she was a professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock for 10 years. Her areas of expertise are hydrogeology, environmental geochemistry, and medical geology with a special emphasis on water-related issues.
As the Hydrogeology Studies Section Chief, Laura supervises or is involved with many groundwater-related studies within Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama.