Alan R. Carroll is a geologist with more than 30 years of experience in academic research and the energy industry. He is currently a professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he conducts research on sedimentary basins, and he is internationally known for his contributions to the geology of ancient lakes and the tectonic evolution of western China. He also teaches a popular energy resources course. He is a founding member of the Wisconsin Energy Institute and a member of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, where he is a part of the Energy Analysis and Policy faculty. Carroll has worked as an exploration geologist for Sohio Petroleum and as a petroleum geochemist for the Exxon Production Research Company, and he continues to maintain active contact with the petroleum industry through his consulting company, Geofuels LLC. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America, a past associate editor of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, and a member of the American Geophysical Union and Internal Association for Limnogeology.