ABOUT UGS

Michael Vanden Berg

Phone: (801) 538-5419
Email: michaelvandenberg@utah.gov
CV: download PDF

Michael Vanden Berg grew up in southwest Michigan where the saying goes, “lower Michigan has great geology only 1 mile away, straight down through the glacial till.” Despite this fact, Mike received a B.S. in geology from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, and then headed west to play with “real” rocks in Utah. After completing his M.S. degree in geology at the University of Utah, Mike joined the Utah Geological Survey and has been there ever since, going on 18 years. Mike has been a licensed professional geologist in the State of Utah since 2008 and is currently the UGS Energy and Minerals Program Manager. Mike leads a diverse team of geoscientists that research all aspects of Utah’s natural resource development including metals (with a current emphasis on critical minerals), industrial minerals, oil and gas, coal, geothermal, and investigations into carbon sequestration and utilization opportunities.

Mike has extensive experience in obtaining and managing large, multi-year and multi-faceted, energy-related research projects for the State of Utah and has published more than 30 peer-reviewed papers and over 100 abstracts. His main area of research focuses on the petroleum-bearing lacustrine Green River Formation in the Uinta Basin; more recently he has investigated modern Great Salt Lake, including its extensive microbialites, as an analogue for ancient lacustrine deposits.

Mike is also the author of several energy-related reports (e.g., Utah’s Energy Landscape, Energy Chapter for the Economic Report to the Governor) and serves as an energy expert on several state committees (e.g., member of the State of Utah Revenue Assumptions Working Group, supplying energy and metal related price and production forecasts).

Mike has been an active member of AAPG since 2008, including participation on the Rocky Mountain Section executive committee from 2010 to 2014, serving as RMS president in 2013. He also served as General Co-Chair of the 2013 AAPG-RMS meeting in Salt Lake City and as General Chair of the AAPG ACE meeting in 2018.

Taylor Boden

Phone: (801) 537-3362
Email: taylorboden@utah.gov

Taylor Boden joined the Utah Geological Survey in 2004 and is a Geologist with the Energy and Minerals Program. He has worked on a wide range of projects involving Utah’s industrial and metallic mineral resources.

Noah Christensen

Email: njchristensen@utah.gov

Noah joined the Utah Geological Survey in 2024 as a Geological Technician after completing a B.S. in geology at Utah Valley University (UVU). During his time at UVU, he acquired a GIS certificate and led an undergraduate research project on exploring hydrothermal alteration zones through hyperspectral imagery in the Marysvale Volcanic field. Noah works with the Energy & Minerals Program on a handful of projects focusing on metallic mineral resources.

Claire Decker

Phone: (801) 538-8720
Email: cdecker@utah.gov

Claire Decker started as a GIS analyst for the Energy and Mineral Program of the Utah Geologic Survey in September 2022. Claire received a B.S. in environmental sustainability, a B.S. in geography, and a GIS certificate from the University of Utah in 2020. Her undergraduate research was in treeline migration patterns throughout the Holocene. After graduating, she was a program specialist for the State Energy Program at the Utah Office of Energy Development.

Ryan Gall

Phone: (801) 537-3312
Email: rgall@utah.gov

Ryan Gall is a Geologist with the Energy and Minerals Program at the Utah Geological Survey. Following degrees from Colorado College (B.A. geology) and the University of Utah (M.S. geology), Ryan worked in the petroleum and mining industries for several years and joined the UGS in September 2018. With an affinity for the Uinta Basin, Ryan primarily focuses on outcrop and core studies to understand Utah’s economically important resources and the ancient processes that created them.

Madeline Griem

Phone: (801) 537-3359
Email: mgriem@utah.gov

Madeline joined the Utah Geological Survey in 2025 as the Assistant Curator for the Utah Core Research Center. She received a B.S. in history from Emporia State University and an M.A. in museum studies with a focus on collections care and management from Indiana University. Madeline finds particular interest in human health hazards in collections, integrated pest management, and finding new ways to use collections to connect communities.

Max Hamilton

Email: mjhamilton@utah.gov

Max Hamilton joined the Utah Geological Survey in 2023 as a Geological Technician after completing a B.S. in Geology at the University of Utah. He works with the Energy and Minerals Program on several resource-related projects, including critical minerals. Max intends to pursue a M.S. degree focusing on structure and tectonics.

Christian Hardwick

Phone: (801) 538-5412
Email: christianhardwick@utah.gov
CV: download PDF

Christian Hardwick is a Senior Geologist and Geophysicist at the Utah Geological Survey, joining in 2011. He is the Geothermal Section manager within the Energy and Minerals program, and provides geophysical support for the Groundwater, Hazards, and Geologic Mapping Programs. Christian specializes in applied geophysical methods of gravity, magnetotellurics, transient electromagnetics, and thermal fields. He also runs and manages the UGS Thermal Geophysics Research Lab where physical rock properties are measured and new research equipment is developed and tested. Before re-entering academic pursuits, he was a carpenter based out of McMurdo, Antarctica, for the United States Antarctic Program (USAP) from 2004 to 2008. After the USAP he joined the Thermal Geophysics Research Lab at the University of Utah, where he worked on research projects involving micro gravity, paleoclimate, hydrology, geothermal systems, global heat flow, and isostasy.

In 2010, Christian received a B.S. in geoscience with emphasis in geophysics from the University of Utah and the Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Geophysics award. He is a graduate of Summer of Applied Geophysical Experience (SAGE) 2010 and ExxonMobil SAGE Scholar recipient. In 2011, Christian participated in the National Science Foundation (NSF) International Research Experience for Students (IRES) program in Taupo, New Zealand, focused on geothermal exploration emphasizing surface geophysical methods. He received an M.S. in geophysics from the University of Utah in 2013.

In his leisure time, Christian enjoys learning new skills, travel, and outdoor activities including hiking, camping, backpacking, skiing/snowboarding, and mountain biking.

Elliot Jagniecki

Phone: (801) 537-3370
Email: ejagniecki@utah.gov

Elliot Jagniecki is a Senior Petroleum Geologist with the Energy and Minerals Program at the Utah Geological Survey. He received a Ph.D. from Binghamton University in 2014 and worked five years at ConocoPhillips in Houston prior to joining the UGS in September 2018. Beyond his extensive knowledge in petroleum geology, his expertise includes sedimentology, evaporites, lacustrine systems, and geochemistry. He coordinates research with government, industry, and academic partners on assessing petroleum resources and characterizing Utah’s geology.

Ammon McDonald

Phone: (801) 537-3359
Email: ammonmcdonald@utah.gov

James McVey

Email: jmcvey@utah.gov

James McVey is a project geologist with the Energy & Minerals Program. He received a B.S in geology from the University of Utah and is currently enrolled in the Professional Master’s Degree program for mineral exploration at the Colorado School of Mines. James has over six years of mineral exploration experience working mostly in the state of Utah with a focus on porphyry, skarn, epithermal, and Carlin-style deposits.

Stephanie Mills

Phone: (801) 537-3308
Email: smills@utah.gov

Stephanie Mills is a Senior Geologist with the Energy and Minerals Program. She started with the UGS in January 2019 and is an economic geologist specialized in metallic mineral resources. She received her B.S. Hons degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 2009 and her Ph.D. from Monash University in 2014. Stephanie has over a decade of experience researching and working in minerals exploration across the globe, and her specialization is in magmatic-hydrothermal systems with a focus on porphyry, skarn, epithermal, and Carlin-style deposits. She is a registered professional geologist and a Fellow of the Society of Economic Geologists.

Andrew Rupke

Phone: (801) 537-3366
Email: andrewrupke@utah.gov

Andrew Rupke joined the Utah Geological Survey in 2010 and is a Senior Geologist and industrial minerals geologist in the Energy and Minerals Program. Prior to joining the UGS, he worked as a geologist in the lime industry for over six years. His work and research at the UGS focus on Utah’s diverse industrial mineral resources including potash, phosphate, salt, high-calcium limestone, aggregate, gypsum, and others. He received a B.S. in geology from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 2000 and a M.S. in geology from the University of Utah in 2003. He is a registered Professional Geologist in Utah.

Kayla Smith

Phone: (801) 538-5411
Email: kayladsmith@utah.gov

Kayla joined the Utah Geological Survey in 2021 after earning a M.S. degree in geology at Utah State University. Her graduate research focused on detailed core characterization with an emphasis on geochemistry and structural geology. Kayla earned a B.A. in geology and environmental science with honors in biology from Mount Holyoke College. Kayla works primarily with the geophysics team of the Energy & Minerals Program on subsurface exploration supporting geothermal, mapping, and groundwater research. She is also a drone pilot and conducts remote sensing surveys for lidar, thermal imaging, and 3D modeling.

Gabriela St. Pierre

Phone: (801) 538-5410
Email: gstpierre@utah.gov

Gabriela joined the UGS as a Project Geologist in the Energy & Minerals Program in 2023. She earned a B.S. in geology at New Mexico State University in 2013, followed by a Ph.D. in geology from the University of Utah in 2021. Prior to joining the UGS, Gabriela spent two and half years as a geologist with Chevron on the Global New Ventures team and Chevron Technology Center in Houston. Her research interests include understanding the interplay of tectonics and basin sedimentation and source-to-sink analysis of ancient basins. She uses field-based sedimentology and stratigraphy, flexural modeling, seismic interpretation, detrital geochronology, and thermochronology techniques to evaluate basins on a regional scale and applies that knowledge to oil and gas exploration. Her role at the UGS is to apply these skills to resource exploration and development for carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) focusing on a statewide geologic evaluation for CCUS sites.

Eugene Szymanski

Phone: (801) 537-3364
Email: eugenes@utah.gov

Eugene is a Senior Scientist in the Energy and Minerals Program and joined the UGS in 2021. His research interests include landscape evolution, basin characterization, chronostratigraphy, and source-to-sink analysis of modern and ancient depositional systems. In particular, he enjoys applying diverse geo-/thermochronological techniques to these systems for the purposes of intrinsic academic study and energy & mineral resource assessment. He has worked in hydrocarbon exploration, strategic geologic research, and applied technology development during his career and, prior to joining the UGS, Eugene held a role as Senior Technical Geologist in the Chevron Technology Center in Houston from 2014 to 2021. Eugene currently holds Adjunct Faculty appointments at The University of Kansas and The University of Arkansas where he co-advises students and collaborates on research projects. He works synergistically with many academic groups, analytical laboratories, and consortia and enjoys serving on Geological Society of America committees. Eugene earned a B.S. in geology from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania in 2000, a M.Sc. in geophysics from Boston College in 2005, and a Ph.D. in geology from The University of Kansas in 2013.