Dr. Daria Nikitina is a geology professor at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, USA. Her background is in the interdisciplinary and systematic study of landforms and the earth surface processes that create and change them. Daria was born in Moscow, Russia where she resided with her family until 1994. Daria received a master degree in geography from Moscow State University, Russia and a Ph.D. degree in geology from University of Delaware, USA.

Her undergraduate and graduate research in Russia was focused on volcanology. As a student she traveled to Kamchatcka peninsula at the Pacific coast of Russia to study the eruptive history of active volcanoes of Southern Kamchatka and Kuril Islands. Several decades later, Daria joined expedition cruising team on board of Clipper Odyssey and visited some of her most remote field sites on Kuril Islands. Daria’s current research interests include coastal response to changing climate focusing on comparison between millennial, centennial and decadal records of sea level rise along the US Atlantic coast, coastal erosion caused by increasing storm and hurricane activity in the Northern Atlantic, and landscape changes related to anthropogenic impact and global warming.

Along with traditional geology courses, Daria teaches Field Study courses focused on Geology and Environmental Changes where she takes students to the Peruvian Amazon, the Andes and Russian Arctic. Daria lives in Philadelphia area with her husband and daughter. The whole family likes to travel and enjoys arts, music and theatre.