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Cambridge NERC Doctoral Landscape Awards (Training Partnerships)

Postgraduate Research Opportunities
 

Extreme events in geophysics using data, theory, and numerical models.

 

Research Area

My research focuses on the study of nonlinear dynamical systems in geophysics, extreme events and their related hazard. I study time series of various observables, including seismological, geodetic, and meteorological data. My main focus is on Solid Earth physics, with particular interest in seismology and geodesy. I use data analysis techniques ranging from classical statistical approaches to more modern machine learning tools to extract the relevant tectonic information out of the available observations. Once that this information is available, kinematic and dynamic models can be realized to explain the observations. I use both physics-driven and fully data-driven approaches to characterize the dynamics of the systems at hand. I am particularly interested in slow and regular earthquakes, but I work also on the interaction between Solid and Fluid Earth, as well as the interaction between volcanic and tectonic processes. Causal links in complex and highly nonlinear systems are not always obvious, and I am interested in both real-world applications and methodological advancements aimed at unveiling these hidden connections. Given the limited information available when studying geophysical problems, a probabilistic description of the world is often necessary. For this reason, I use both deterministic and stochastic models in my work.

 

Project Interests

I am interested in developing projects that study the seismic cycle in all its phases, as well as the relation between seismic and aseismic slip. I am also interested in projects that want to improve our understanding of friction at both laboratory and natural scales (including icequakes), as well as from a theoretical point of view. Studies on multiparametric real world data (e.g., “Near Fault Observatories” data, https://www.epos-eu.org/tcs/near-fault-observatories) are welcome, with the main interest being understanding the causal links using machine learning and dynamical system theory techniques. I would be happy to further investigate Fluid-Solid Earth interactions and extreme events.

 

 

Keywords: 
Geohazards
Glacial and cryospheric systems
Hydrological processes
Land-atmosphere interactions
Land-ocean interactions
Physics and chemistry of Earth materials
Regional weather and extreme events
Survey and monitoring
Tectonic processes
Volcanic processes