Jan Tullis was born Julia Ann Conway on February 21, 1943, in Swedesboro, NJ, but spent half of her childhood growing up in Weston, CT. She died in Hospice in Providence on September 15, 2024, after a short illness. She was an Emeritus Professor of Geology at Brown University where she had done research, taught, and advised students since 1970. She received a BA in Geology from Carleton College in 1965, and a PhD in Experimental Geophysics from UCLA in 1971.

At a time when she had virtually no women role models, Jan became one for those who followed her. Jan became 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 received many prestigious awards for teaching and student advising.

At the same time Jan had a very active and important research career. She 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. She has over 85 referred journal publications and over 100 papers presented at scientific meetings and received many prestigious awards for her research contributions.

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, but 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 ex-husband and devoted friend of 60 years Terry Tullis and all the colleagues, students, and alumni who formed such a warm and valued family for her.