James Montgomery is an associate professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Studies, located in the College of Science and Health. He received B.S. and M.S. degrees in geology (1982, 1986) from Baylor University in Waco, TX. He received his Ph.D. in soil science in 1993 from Washington State University in Pullman, WA. Dr. Montgomery came to DePaul University in 1992 as the first tenure-track hire in what was then called the Environmental Science Program. He served as director of the Environmental Science Program from 2004-2010.
Dr. Montgomery conducts research on wetlands, with particular focus on their soils, hydrology and water quality. For the past 14 years he has been conducting research with undergraduate environmental science majors at Prairie Wolf Slough Wetland Demonstration Project, located in Highland Park, IL. In addition to his wetlands research, he conducts research on urban soils, with particular emphasis both on characterizing their basic chemical and physical properties and on monitoring soil lead concentrations in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. He also works with undergraduate students on campus sustainability projects involving the Lincoln Park Campus residence halls and Student Center, as well as the DePaul Art Museum. In 2008 he led DePaul’s Study Abroad Program to Melbourne, Australia, where he taught a course on sustainable cities. For the past three summers, Dr. Montgomery has served as a faculty team leader in the CIRRUS Program at DePaul. CIRRUS, the Chicago Initiative for Research and Recruitment in Undergraduate Science, provides academic support and research opportunities for science and mathematics students at DePaul University, Harold Washington College, and Truman College
Dr. Montgomery currently serves as co-chair of DePaul’s Sustainability Initiatives Task Force, which is devoted to promoting sustainable practices and sustainability principles in its curriculum, operations, research and community engagement. He is a co-author of What Sustains Us: An Institutional Sustainability Plan for DePaul University. He has taught courses in environmental science and forensic science for Chicago Public Schools and Catholic school middle-grade students, as well as geology and environmental courses for in-service Chicago Public School and Catholic school middle-grade teachers. In 2004 Dr. Montgomery received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the College of Liberal Arts and Science. He and his wife Deanna have three children and two dogs