Prior to joining Baylor, Dr. Dunbar spent 10 years in petroleum exploration research. From 1979 to 1984 he was involved in seismic acquisition research with ARCO Oil and Gas. His first assignment was to conduct a series of field experiments to access the application of shear wave reflection methods to delineating thin gas sands and fractured carbonate reservoirs. In 1982 he became the supervisor of the Marine Seismic Acquisition Research Group at ARCO. This group designed and tested new marine seismic sources and improved three-dimensional acquisition methods. In 1984 he entered the Ph. D. program at the University of Texas at Austin. His dissertation dealt with the mechanics of continental breakup and the subsidence of passive margins. This work included research cruises in the Gulf of Mexico and Bransfield Straight, Antarctica. After completing his Ph. D. in 1989, he joined the Basin Analysis Section of Shell Development company. There he participated in studies involving the structural, stratigraphic and hydrologic evolution of sedimentary basins.
He is currently working with Dr. Peter Allen on a state-funded project to develop geophysical lake sedimentation assessment equipment, techniques, and models.
Dr. Dunbar's research interests also include the application of reflection seismology and finite element modeling to the study of passive continental margins. In recent work he has investigated the relationship between the prerift structure of continental lithosphere and amount of extension involved in continental breakup. In future work he plans to consider factors influencing both melt generation and crustal-scale hydrologic flow during continental extension and their role in the breakup process.