Research in geophysics at Georgia Tech covers studies from the inner core of the earth through planetary sciences. Our research includes theoretical analyses, numerical modeling, observational studies, and laboratory experiments. The research addresses issues of fundamental understanding of the dynamics of the solid earth system, and associated hazards from earthquakes, volcanism, and tsunamis.
Geophysics research is inherently interdisciplinary and is conducted in collaboration with civil and environmental engineering, physics, geochemistry, geology, and microbiology.
In recent years, external funding for the pure and applied research being conducted within the geophysics group has been provided by the National
Science Foundation Earth Science and
Ocean Science Divisions, the U.S. Dept.
of Energy, USGS, NASA, NOAA, the
Ocean Drilling Program, the Petroleum
Research Fund, and state agencies.
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Dr. Joe Dufek
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Melting and magma dynamics in the crust and mantle and the geochemical consequences of these processes
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Dynamics of explosive volcanic eruptions and the dynamics of particle laden gravity currents
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Microphysical process in multiphase flows
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Planetary Processes
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Dr. Christian Huber
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Melt production, extraction and transport through the crust.
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Bubble dynamics and its effect on rheology, heat and mass transport in magmas.
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Porous media flows (single and multiphase), heat and chemical transport in groundwater flows.
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Diffusion timescales in crystals.
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Dr. Andrew Newman
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Active deformation and failure of the Earth's lithosphere
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Seismic, volcanic, and tsunami hazards
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Seismology (fault structure and tsunami warning)
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Geodesy (mostly GPS and InSAR)
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Dr. Carol Paty
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Computer simulations of planetary magnetospheres
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Coupled interactions of Jupiter's magnetosphere with that of the icy moon Ganymede
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Ion-neutral interactions between Enceladus' cryovolcanic plume and Saturn's magnetosphere
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Mars' atmospheric evolution.
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Dr. Zhigang Peng
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High resolution imaging of fault zone structures
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Earthquake triggering
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Earthquake source properties
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Slow earthquakes and non-volcanic tremor
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Dr. James Wray
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Planetary surface processes
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Climate history and aqueous environments on Mars
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Oceans in the outer solar system (e.g., Europa)
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Spacecraft remote sensing
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Atmospheric Chemistry, Aerosols &
Clouds
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Paleoclimate
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Planetary Science
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Geochemistry
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Dynamics of Weather and Climate
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Oceanography and Climate
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Remote Sensing
Dr. Jeremy Riousset
Dr. Domenico Doronzo
Dr. Chunquan Wu
Dr. Hermann Fritz, Dr. Dominic Assimaki, Dr.
Leonid Germanovich, Dr. Karim Sabra
Chastity Aiken- Mary Benage- Chenxiao Du- Kevin
Chao- Jaime Convers- Joe Estep- Chelsea Hopkins-
Cindy Young- Ozge Karakas- Zach LiftonYan
Luo- Josh Mendez- Xiaofeng Meng- Brendan
Sullivan- Jennifer Telling -

M.S. Students
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Course: 30 Credit Hours
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Thesis or Non-Thesis
Ph.D. Students
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EAS Course: 15 Credit Hours
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Minor Course: 9 Credit Hours
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Academic Breadth
• Comprehensive Exam
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Doctoral Examination
(each student takes a subset based on specific interests)
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Earthquake Physics
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Introduction to Seismology
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Earth System Modeling
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Modern Geodetic Methods
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Structure and Continuum
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Geodynamics
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Geofluids
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Introduction to Geophysics
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Introduction to Space Physics and
Space Instrumentation
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Rocks and Rheology
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Landscape Evolution
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Physical Hydrology
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Physical Volcanology
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Physics of Planets
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B.S. or M.S. in any field of geophysical, physical or environmental science
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GPA: 3.0/4.0 & Higher
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Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
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TOEFL > 79 (International Students)
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Application Form (Online)
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Personal Statement
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Recommendation Letters (3)
• Official Transcripts (each school)
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Test Scores (GRE and/or TOEFL)
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Graduate Assistantships (RA/TA)
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Full Tuition Payment
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National and Local Fellowships
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Professional Conferences
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Research field missions
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State-of-the-art laboratories
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Local environmental monitoring
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Broad range of computing resources
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Interdisciplinary seminar series