Jan was celebrated around the world as a legendary scientist, an exceptional teacher, and beloved advisor. It is impossible to overstate her impact and influence on Brown's community and students.
Jan was born on February 21, 1943 in Swedesboro, New Jersey. Together with her parents and sisters Mary and Ellen, Jan moved to Weston, Connecticut when Jan was 13. She went to high school in the neighboring town of Westport. Jan earned an A.B. in Geology from Carleton College in 1965 and a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1971. She came to Brown in 1970, joining what is now the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences.
Jan was a pioneer and scientific leader in her field. Her work on rock deformation processes is incredibly influential and remains highly cited in today’s scientific literature – her legacy is a testament to her enthusiasm, insight, and an innovative approach to designing lab experiments to investigate key processes in earth science. Women in her field were few and far between in the late 1960s when Jan was pursuing her Ph.D. thesis. This did not slow Jan’s progress, as she followed her keen scientific instincts to conduct novel experiments that her prominent mentors initially dissuaded her from doing. These data ended up leading to groundbreaking work that provided new insights into deformation processes in the crust – laying the foundation for decades of subsequent research relating deformation conditions in the crust to unique microstructural characteristics.
Upon moving to Brown in the early 1970s, Jan continued to conduct hands-on research in the lab for the following four decades, pursuing fundamental lab studies on a wide range of topics related to the rheological behavior of the crust. Jan’s hands-on approach was relatively unique, and her presence in the lab created an amazing environment where she worked side-by-side with her students. Together with her students and collaborators, most notably fellow Brown Professor Richard (Dick) Yund (1933-2020), she conducted groundbreaking studies on the processes responsible for the brittle-to-ductile transition in crustal rocks, and the viscous deformation processes that lead to strain localization and the formation of mylonites. Additional highlights include her development of novel techniques to isolate the role of water on weakening of crustal rocks and minerals, and quantification of flow laws for common crustal rocks that are still widely used today in modeling studies.
Jan was an outstanding research mentor, encouraging her students to explore new connections between microstructural analysis and rheology; her mentees have gone on to successful careers in a wide range of professions, including academia and industry. She also welcomed visitors to her lab, providing an environment for collaboration between experts in geology, geochemistry, and geophysics. One of her mottos, “you can’t be afraid to be wrong,” fostered a lab environment that promoted discovery. Her amazing mentorship also extended broadly to the community. At every conference she attended, Jan focused on meeting and discussing science with current graduate students in the field; over the decades, countless young geologists and geophysicists have cited her as an inspiration for their careers.
For her excellence in research, Jan was honored as a prestigious Fellow of both the American Geophysical Union and the Geological Society of America, and was awarded the GSA Structural Geology and Tectonics Division Career Contribution Award in 2005.
Jan was a legendary and beloved teacher and academic advisor. The joy she found in geology and studying the natural world was inspiring, and she motivated many students at Brown to pursue concentrations and careers in geoscience. Jan was an exceptionally clear lecturer who could break down complex concepts into their essential components using words and sketches, making the underlying processes understandable and memorable. She was an early proponent of active learning, ensuring that students used their own thinking to grapple with concepts. She insightfully planned every aspect of her lectures, labs, and field trips to convey key ideas and skills. Jan was gifted at teaching at all levels, ranging from introductory courses for undergraduates to graduate offerings, including her decades of teaching in Face of the Earth, Physical Processes in Geology (“Geo 22”), Structural Geology and Advanced Structural Geology. For her faculty friends who co-taught some of these courses, Jan was an uplifting colleague, and teaching with her was a joyful experience. Jan was keenly interested in pedagogical research and passionate about sharing educational best practices with others. She continually worked to improve her own teaching and the teaching of those around her. For more than three decades she was very active in the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning at Brown, including its teaching workshops and governance. Jan was also a pioneering role model and advocate for women in science, and was a longtime member of the Advisory Board for Women in Science and Engineering at Brown.
Jan was also an exceptional advisor to many hundreds of Brown students over her career, each year working with first-year, sophomore, and concentration advisees. She had a gift for finding the right combination of advice, caring, and firmness that helped each student bring out the best in themselves. Her former advisees stayed in touch, sometimes over many decades, and they would often return to Brown to visit with Jan, which she loved. She advocated for the importance of science communication, and her detailed feedback helped her students move out into the world as better writers and speakers. Jan was a catalyst for excellence in advising and teaching across her department at Brown, and she led its undergraduate program for more than 35 years. Although she formally retired in 2013, Jan continued teaching until 2021, and continued advising and contributing to courses until just before her death.
Jan was recognized with numerous awards for her teaching and advising, including the Association of Women Geoscientists Outstanding Educator Award (1998), and by Brown with the Walter H. Annenberg Distinguished Professor of the Year (1997), the Harriet W. Sheridan Award for Distinguished Contribution to Teaching and Learning (2000), the Karen Romer Award for Undergraduate Advising and Mentoring (2004), a Brown University Presidential Citation (2005), the Royce Family Professorship for Teaching Excellence (2007-2010), and the Hazeltine Award for Excellence in Teaching, Advising and Mentoring (2011). Her department honored her in 2013 by creating the Jan Tullis Undergraduate Teaching Award, which is given to a graduating senior each year. However, what mattered more to Jan was seeing her students succeed in whatever career path they chose, and the love and respect that they returned to her.
Jan was an enthusiastic naturalist, knowledgeable about plants, birds, and other animals, as well as the rocks that were her professional focus. She was an avid hiker and backpacker, walking faster than most who accompanied her. As a gardener, she not only made her yard a botanical showplace, she also created and tended flower beds for neighbors and in public places around her neighborhood. Jan leaves her sisters Mary Conway and Ellen Shelton, and her nieces Jessie and Kit Shelton, as well as her former husband and devoted friend of 60 years Terry Tullis, and all of the colleagues, students, and alumni who had formed such a warm and valued family she had worked to build.
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The Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences is planning to host a celebration of Jan's life and legacy, to be held during the spring semester.
Help is available for anyone who would benefit from support during this difficult time. We encourage you to reach out to the Office of the Chaplains & Religious Life, the University Ombuds Office, and the Employee Assistance Program. Brown students in need of counseling are encouraged to reach out to any of the following offices for assistance: Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), 401-863-3476; the deans in the office of Student Support Services, 401-863-3145; or the Office of the Chaplains & Religious Life, 401-863-2344.
