New Faces

December 5, 2022

Eric Attias

Research Associate

Eric Attias has been an Israeli navy diver, an ROV pilot and a molecular genetics researcher. He’s now a marine geophysicist and research associate at the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, where he brings a new geophysical capability in controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) imaging. At UTIG, one of his first projects is ICEFLAME — an international effort to study the impacts of ice sheet retreat and the dissociation of marine gas hydrates in the Antarctic Peninsula.

Hassan Dashtian

Research Associate

Hassan Dashtian rejoined the Bureau of Economic Geology as a research associate, having worked previously as a researcher with the Gulf Coast Carbon Center from May 2018 to April 2019. While away from the bureau, he held data science positions at AquaNRG and at the Computational Media Lab at UT’s Moody College of Communication. Dashtian specializes in a range of computational methods, including statistical data analysis and visualization, machine learning, predictive modeling and numerical simulation.

Mahdi Haddad

Research Associate

Mahdi Haddad is a research associate at the Bureau of Economic Geology and geomechanicist with experience in modeling injection and production-induced fault reactivation. Currently, Haddad conducts research on hydraulic fracture mapping and CO2 monitoring through two projects focused on the Devine Fracture Pilot Site.

Benjamin Keisling

Research Associate

Benjamin Keisling is a numerical ice sheet modeler at the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics. He uses archives of the past to understand Earth’s ice sheets today and in the future. His is currently researching the effects of seasonality and tectonics on Earth’s climate and cryosphere, and developing numerical models in advance of a UTIG-led robotic exploration of underwater glacial walls. Keisling recently convened the AGU Chapman Second National Conference on Justice in Geoscience.

Wonhyun Lee

Research Associate

Wonhyun Lee joined the Bureau of Economic Geology as a research associate. He comes to the bureau from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, where he was a National Research Council postdoctoral fellow. Lee’s research focuses on creating numerical models that capture coastal and oceanic processes, from hurricanes and extreme weather to the effects of future climate change.

Cornelia Rasmussen

Research Associate

Cornelia Rasmussen is a research associate at the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics. She joined UTIG in 2017 as a postdoctoral researcher and was involved in creating the UT Center for Planetary Systems Habitability. Rasmussen conducts research on the evolution of planetary habitability and is developing geochemical tools for use in chemical forensics and detecting life on other planets. Previously, she worked on piecing together the longest continuous paleoenvironmental record of the Late Triassic.

Ashraf Rateb

Research Scientist Associate

Ashraf Rateb is a research scientist associate at the Bureau of Economic Geology. He joined the bureau in 2018 as a postdoctoral researcher. Rateb specializes in using geodetic and remote sensing tools, such as GRACE/ GRACE-FO, InSAR, GNSS, in situ observations and statistical learning to study interactions between atmosphere, hydrosphere and solid earth. His current research focuses on climate extremes and flood predictability.