NIED-SHIELD Joint Workshop

Building Multi-Hazard Resilience on a Changing Earth

NIED
Shield

Date and Time

October 21, 2026
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Location

UTIG Seminar Room (ROC 1.603)
J.J. Pickle Research Campus

10601 Exploration Way, Bldg. 196
Austin, TX 78758-4445

Project SHIELD is hosting a joint workshop with Japan’s National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience (NIED). The workshop will bring together researchers from NIED and the Jackson School of Geosciences to share ongoing research and explore opportunities for future collaboration in hazard science and resilience.  

Please RSVP by October 14, 2026.  

Participation is limited to 75 attendees.  If interested in presenting a poster, please provide a title during registration. The maximum poster size is 32” (width) x 44” (height).

About NIED 

NIED was established in 1963 in response to the devastating Ise Bay Typhoon of 1959, which claimed more than 5,000 lives. Guided by its mission, “Science for Resilience,” the institution integrates fundamental hazard science with practical approaches to disaster resilience. NIED supports nationwide real-time observation networks for seismic and volcanic activity, as well as large-scale experimental facilities for research on earthquakes, extreme rainfall, and snow and ice hazards. For more information, please visit the NIED website. 

Workshop Agenda

Wednesday, October 21, 2026

Time Event
8-8:30 a.m. Registration and Breakfast
8:30-9:15 a.m. Session 1: Setting the Stage

  • 8:30–8:45 a.m. Daniel Stockli (Jackson School Dean): Welcome and Introduction to Jackson School of Geosciences
  • 8:45–9 a.m. Shohei Matsuura (NIED Deputy Director): Introduction to NIED
  • 9–9:15 a.m. James Thompson (Bureau of Economic Geology [BEG]): Project SHIELD and Workshop Goals
9:15-10:45 a.m. Session 2: Earthquake and Subduction Zone Hazards

  • 9:15–9:30 a.m. Futoshi Yamashita (NIED): Understanding Earthquake Mechanics through Large-Scale Rock Friction Experiments at NIED
  • 9:30–9:45 a.m. Kurama Okubo (NIED): Laboratory Earthquake Seismology: Non-Self-Similar Earthquakes Generated by a Controlled Fault Asperity
  • 9:45–10 a.m. Chas Bolton (UTIG): Fluid-Induced Earthquakes on Meter-Scale Laboratory Faults
  • 10–10:15 a.m. Ritsuya Shibata (NIED): Insights into the Coexistence of Slow and Fast Earthquakes in the 2025 Sanriku-Oki Earthquake Source Region from S-net OBS and OBPG Data
  • 10:15–10:30 a.m. Thorsten Becker (EPS): Constraining Plate Boundary Mechanics
  • 10:30–10:45 a.m. Demian Saffer (UTIG Director): Near-Trench Slip and Locking in Subduction Zones: Linking Offshore Monitoring, Ocean Drilling, and Laboratory Experiments
10:45–11 a.m. Morning Coffee/Tea Break and Group Photo
11 a.m.–12 p.m Session 3: Extreme Weather and Compound Hazards

  • 11–11:15 a.m. Kenichi Shimose (NIED): Enhancing Resilience to Severe Weather in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area: From Multi-Sensor Observations to Monitoring and Prediction
  • 11:15–11:30 a.m. Dev Niyogi (EPS): City Digital Twins for Multiscale Data to Decision Framework
  • 11:30–11:45 a.m. Yuko Okumura (UTIG): Does El Niño Increase Flood Risk in Texas? – Toward Probabilistic Seasonal Forecasting of Extreme Weather Events
  • 11:45 a.m.–12 p.m. Naoki Sakai (NIED): Projecting Rainfall-Driven Debris Flows, from Flume to Watershed
12–1 p.m. Lunch
1–2:15 p.m. Session 4: Hazard Monitoring and Risk Analytics

  • 1–1:15 p.m. Ellen Rathje (CAEE/BEG): DesignSafe: A Cyberinfrastructure Supporting Natural Hazards Research
  • 1:15–1:30 p.m. Satomi Kimijima (NIED): From Sensors to Situational Awareness: A Stepwise Multi-Sensor Approach to Disaster Damage Assessment
  • 1:30–1:45 p.m. Alexandros Savvaidis (BEG)
  • 1:45–2 p.m. Bridget Scanlon (BEG): Assessing the Role of Total Water Storage from GRACE Satellites as a Global Large-Scale Flood Driver
  • 2–2:15 p.m. Geeta Persad (EPS): The Importance of Use-Targeted Climate Metrics: Case Studies from Water Management, Public Health, and the Electric Grid
2:15–3 p.m. Poster Session and Coffee/Tea Break
3–4 p.m.

Session 5: Breakout Discussions

Group 1: Solid Earth Hazards (ROC 1.603)
Group 2: Extreme Weather and Compound Hazards (BEG 1.202)

Guiding Questions:

  • Where are the strongest opportunities for NIED-JSG collaboration?
  • What grand challenge could unite the partnership over the next 5-10 years?
  • What activities and mechanisms are needed to turn ideas into lasting collaboration?

Expected Output:

  • Top 3 collaboration priorities
  • Flagship collaboration opportunity
  • Recommended collaboration mechanisms
4–5 p.m.

Session 6: NIED-Jackson School/SHIELD Collaboration Roadmap

Reporting from Groups 1 and 2

Cross-Cutting Opportunities

  • Where do the breakout groups overlap?
  • What opportunities connect solid Earth and hydroclimate hazards?

Collaboration Priorities

5 p.m. Meeting Ends
 

Event Location

The workshop is hosted by The University of Texas Jackson School of Geosciences. The main workshop will be held at The University of Texas Institute for Geophysics Seminar Room (ROC 1.603).

The University of Texas Institute for Geophysics
Research Office Complex (ROC)
10601 Exploration Way
Austin, TX 78758

Parking

Visitors to PRC can obtain a visitor parking permit from our check-in desk on the morning of the event or from the Pay and Display kiosks at 10500 Exploration Way or 2905 Read Granberry Trail. UT affiliates can use valid UT parking permits labeled “A”, “C”, or “Disabled”.

You may park in parking spots marked “Any UT Permit.”

Additional visitor parking information

Utig Parking Map

Hotel Recommendations

Hotels near the Pickle Research Campus may be found at: https://www.beg.utexas.edu/about/hotels

Contact & Information

James Thompson

James Thompson

Research Assistant Professor
Bureau of Economic Geology

Yuko

Yuko Okumura

Research Associate Professor
University of Texas Institute for Geophysics

Any questions? Please email SHIELD@jsg.utexas.edu for additional information.