Daniel Karner joined the Sonoma State University Geology Department faculty in the Fall of 2003.  He obtained a B.S. degree in Geology from Sonoma State University in 1992, and a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of California, Berkeley in 1997.  Following his Ph.D., Karner become a postdoctoral researcher, and later an Assistant Research Scientist in the Physics Department at UC Berkeley.  His research is best described as interdisciplinary.  He has focused on understanding the causes of natural climate variations, such as the Ice Ages.  He has worked extensively in Rome, Italy, using geology to study sea level changes caused by ice age cycles, the histories of Roman volcanoes in order to asses future volcanic hazards, and the oldest archaeological structures in the Roman Forum.  Karner uses the natural radioactive decay of potassium to date past geologic events.   Karner has also spent much time applying statistical techniques to assess the validity of interpretations made by other scientists.  Karner is a Marin County native, and lives in Kentfield with his wife and three children.