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Our group is currently in a state of flux and we are based out of the University of Southern California and Lakehead University. I am currently only recruiting personnel for the University of Southern California (where we offer a PhD program).

If you are interested in studying structural geology at Lakehead University (where an MSc program is offered), please contact Dr. Tobias Stephan at tstephan [at] lakeheadu.ca.



Current Members at the University of Southern California

Noah Phillips

Assistant Professor

Favorite Animal: The Ostrich

Previous Affiliations: Assistant Professor at Lakehead, Postdoc at Texas A&M, PhD at McGill

Best Field Experience: All of them!

Current Work: See my research page and the work of my students below



Montserrat de Allende Silva

PhD Candidate with Noah (Started: Summer 2025)

Favorite Animal: Ducks!

Previous Affiliations: BSc at USC under Dr. Platt

Best Field Experience: Making my first map in Rainbow Basin, the accomplishment I felt was amazing (and I got to hold a tarantula)!

Current Work: Geologic history and deformation of the Twin Sisters Complex, WA



Lisette Ochoa

SCEC Summer Intern with Noah (BSc Candidate at UCSD)

Favorite Animal:

Previous Affiliations:

Best Field Experience:

Current Work: Permeability structure of the Punchbowl Fault, California




Current Members at Lakehead


Dr. Tobias Stephan

Assistant Professor

Favorite Animal: The North Am... no no, definitely the European Badger!

Previous Affiliations: Postdoc with Noah ; Postdocs at University of Calgary and Friedrich-Alexander-University ; Studies at Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg

Best Field Experience: Maybe not the time I got stuck in a tent for 2 days due to sandstorms in the Gobi desert...

Current Work: Determining the regional to micro-scale structural controls of the Moss Lake gold deposit ; Analysis of plate motions ; Learn more about Tobi's great work here!



Dr. Moses Angombe

Postdoctoral Fellow with Noah and Pete (Started: July 2024)

Favorite Animal: Oryx

Previous Affiliations: PhD at McGill, Acting Chief Geoscientist at the Namibian Geological Survey, MSc at Stellenbosch

Best Field Experience: Mapping the Fish River Canyon in Namibia and incorporating geology into the official hiking map (no rhino encounters this time)

Current Work: Structural controls of Ni-Cu-PGE mineralization and timing of deformation in the Ring of Fire, Ontario; Learn more about Moses' great work here!



Dr. Rellie Goddard

Postdoctoral Fellow with Noah and Pete (Started: December 2023)

Favorite Animal: The Beaver

Previous Affiliations: Postdocs at Woods Hole & UBCO, PhD at Oxford

Best Field Experience: The time I saw a beaver in the Northwest Territories!

Current Work: Experimentally investigating gold mobility and the strength of sulphides. Learn more about Rellie's great work here!



Hanna Tiitto

MSc Candidate with Noah and Tobi (Started: April 2024)

Favorite Animal: Penguins!

Previous Affiliations: HBSc at Lakehead with Tobi and Noah on the kinematics of the Quetico-Wawa terrane boundary; Industry work on gold projects (with Alamos Gold, Romios Gold & Thunder Gold Corp)

Best Field Experience: Working in the beautiful mountains around the Golden Triangle, BC

Current Work: Kinematics, timing, and conditions of deformation of the Quetico shear zone in the region of Dog Lake



Ryan Barkley

MSc Candidate with Noah and Pete (Started: September 2022)

Favorite Animal: The Wolf

Previous Affiliations: HBSc at Brandon University ; Industry work with Hudbay, Minto, and GeoMinEx

Best Field Experience: Anytime that sudden clarity comes while looking at rocks (which seems to correspond with when the bugs die down)

Current Work: Determining the geologic setting and structural controls of the Eagle River deposit (an active gold mine)




Graduates and Previous Members


Blaize Briggs

MSc 2025 with Noah

Thesis: Gold Remobilization Mechanisms During Deformation and Metamorphism: A case study from the Goliath Gold Deposit, Dryden, ON

Current Work: Geologist with NexGold Mining Corp

Favorite Animal: The Octopus (no need to get into the octopuses vs octopi debate here)

Previous Affiliations: HBSc at Lakehead University ; Industry work with Treasury Metals

Best Field Experience: Getting slowly stalked by some friendly bears in the Prince George area



Jordan Peterzon

MSc 2025 with Noah and Pete

Thesis: Fault zone architecture, deformation conditions, and kinematics of the Camp Lake and Offset faults of the Lac des Iles Mine, Ontario, Canada

Current Work: Mine Geologist with Impala Resources Ltd

Favorite Animal: The Kangaroo

Previous Affiliations: HBSc at Queens University ; GIT at Bayshore Consulting

Best Field Experience: Besides the underground fault mapping? Being a field assistant for grad students at Laurentian: boat access field work resulted in great scenic views and learning experiences



Cameron Coats

Honours BSc 2025 with Noah

Thesis: Shear Zone Evolution and Deformation Mechanisms of Pegmatites in the Late Svecofennian Orogeny, Ringvassøya, West Troms Basement Complex

Current Work: Exploration Geologist with Bayside Geoscience

Favorite Animal: Dogs!

Previous Affiliations: Tree planter extraordinaire

Best Field Experience: Field lunch after a successful morning of shear zone hunting



Camryn Salo

Honours BSc 2024 with Noah and UiT collaborators

Thesis: Primed for magma transport: A case study of the Kvalsund Shear Zone, West Troms Basement Complex, Norway

Current Work: MSc Candidate at the University of Ottawa

Favorite Animal: Reindeer

Previous Affiliations: Rogue environmental science student; Summer work with Angus Gold

Best Field Experience: Getting dropped off in a marsh by a helicopter for a field traverse: A refreshing way to start the day!



Ryan Stewart

Honours BSc 2024 with Noah

Thesis: Mechanisms and Conditions of Deformation in the Quetico Shear Zone, Rainy Lake, ON, Canada

Current Work: Environmental Scientist with CSL Environmental and Geotechnical Ltd

Favorite Animal: Hawks!

Previous Affiliations: Self-taught metalworker selling his wares at the Thunder Bay Country Market

Best Field Experience: Working on the beach in Nova Scotia mapping and sampling cataclasites from the Clarke Head Megabreccia



Teela Clouthier

Honours BSc 2024 with Noah

Thesis: The influence of intragrain plasticity on intracrystalline water defects in quartz from the Morin shear zone (Québec, Canada)

Current Work: Archeology

Favorite Animal: Fickle with choosing favorite things... but I've always liked birds: crows and chickadees in particular

Previous Affiliations: Rogue archeologist

Best Field Experience: Mapping with the structure group along the Minas, Morin, and Quetico fault systems. Genuinely enjoyed just being outside, looking at different outcrops, and seeing the application of what I've learned throughout my time at school



Sam Ghantous

Honours BSc 2023 with Noah

Thesis: Are Serpentine Fault Mirrors an Indicator of Seismic Slip? A Microstructural Analysis

Current Work: MSc Candidate at Memorial University

Favorite Animal: The Lynx

Previous Affiliations: Summer work with Bayshore Consulting

Best Field Experience: Prospecting throughout Northern Ontario this past summer, seeing many different rocks and deposit types