Her work focuses on the scientific understanding of ancient climate systems, particularly during thePaleozoic andMesozoic eras, with a focus on global climate modeling,sedimentology of ancient ocean upwelling systems,Cretaceouspolar climate, and the climate of the supercontinent Pangea.[4]
She received a B.A. in Biology in 1972, writing a thesis on female-female interactions amongnorthern elephant seals. She earned an M.A. in Biology in 1976 with a thesis on the movements of thenorthern elephant seal along the North American coast.[6] In 1977, she was awarded an M.S. in Earth Sciences by examination and completed her Ph.D. in Earth Sciences in 1979 with a dissertation titled "Problems in the Biogeography of Recent and Fossil Benthic Marine Invertebrates."[7] She later undertook leadership training through theUniversity of Arizona Leadership Institute between 2000 and 2003.[6]
Her early career included positions as a research associate at theUniversity of Chicago in the Geophysical Sciences Department from 1978 to 1981, followed by a consulting role for theU.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 1981. She then worked as a research geologist at the USGS inDenver, Colorado, from 1982 to 1988.[8]
During this time, she led projects on thecarbon cycle, petroleum resources, high-latitude Cretaceous climates, and paleo-upwelling. She also participated in studies related to theArctic National Wildlife Refuge, North Slope basin analysis, and oil and gas resource classification.[9]
In 1988, Parrish joined theUniversity of Arizona as an associate professor with tenure in the Department of Geosciences. She was promoted to full professor in 1992 and remained in that role until 2004.[10] During her time at Arizona, she was Associate Dean of the College of Science from 2000 to 2003, Interim Head of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences in 2001, and Director of the Geosciences Summer Field Camp from 1995 to 1997.[11] She was also a visiting scholar in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences atStanford University in 1994.[8]
In 2003, Parrish became Dean of the College of Science at theUniversity of Idaho and a professor in the Department of Geological Sciences.[11] She served as dean until 2007 and continued as professor until 2011, when she retired and was named Professor Emerita.[12]
She served as President of theGeological Society of America from 2008 to 2009[13] and as interim Executive Director of both the GSA in 2015 and the STEPPE program from 2013 to 2014.[3] From 2021 to 2025, she served as President of the SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology) Foundation.[7]
^Ziegler, Alfred M.; Parrish, J. Michael; Jiping, Yao; Gyllenhaal, Eric D.; Rowley, David B.; Parrish, Judith Totman; Shangyou, Nie; Bekker, Andrew; Hulver, Michael L. (January 1997)."Early Mesozoic phytogeography and climate".Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences.341 (1297):297–305.doi:10.1098/rstb.1993.0115.
