Computational Geosciences
Modeling and simulation offer tremendous opportunities for improving our understanding of the Earth system, addressing geoscience grand challenges, and providing decision-support tools for geoscience policy-makers and industry. The emergence of computation as a powerful tool for prediction and decision-making in the geosciences is driven by advances in three areas: the rapid expansion of our ability to instrument and observe the Earth; sustained improvements in computational models and solution methods for complex geoscience systems; and the relentless growth in computing power.
Computational geoscience is characterized by large-scale nonlinear models that couple multiple physical, chemical, and biological processes over a wide range of length and time scales. The solution of the complex interdisciplinary problems requires advanced numerical algorithms running on high performance computers. To tackle these challenges researchers at the JSG collaborate with the Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences (ICES) and the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC).
The Computational Geoscience discipline is the focal point of computational and modeling activities at the Jackson School of Geosciences and serves to:
- Bring together computational researchers from across the three units of the Jackson School and across all research themes
- Foster a culture of large-scale modeling and simulation within JSG
- Energize research at the interfaces of modeling and data, and lead to wider application of inverse methods.
- Develop a unique curriculum to educate a new generation of geoscientists well-versed in computation and ready to become leaders in their field.
Climate Modeling
Jackson School climate modeling activities include integration with comprehensive global and regional climate system models developed at NCAR and contributions of process components to these models. The research threads have emphasized fundamentals of climate dynamics, assimilation, and prediction, climate over land and land processes, especially those involving canopy radiation and those coupled to the hydrological cycle. The latter include snow, frozen ground, water tables, runoff and vector based river routing. Mechanism and processes for floods and drought are of especial current interest.
Geodynamic Modeling
Mantle convection drives plate tectonics and continental drift and, in turn, controls the occurrence of earthquakes and volcanoes, mountain building, and long-term sea level change. The major challenges in modeling global mantle convection lie in resolving the wide range of space and time scales and the orders of magnitude variation in material properties. Computational geodynamics research in the Jackson School is aimed at creating advanced mathematical and computational models of mantle convection processes that overcome the above challenges through advanced discretizations, adaptive mesh refinement, and scalable parallel solvers that run on state-of-the-art supercomputers. A new thrust is to develop inverse methods that assimilate observational data into mantle flow models.
Modeling flows in porous media
Porous media are ubiquitous throughout the geosciences and the computational modeling of porous media flows is a common interest across all three units of the Jackson School. Activities range from complex large-scale simulations of specific field sites to nanoscale transport models of fundamental geological and environmental processes. Topics include the dynamics of marine methane hydrates, fluid flow in nanopores of shale strata, reactive transport during diagenesis, partial melting and melt migration in the earth’s mantle. Researchers optimize the design of enhanced oil and gas recovery and geological CO2 storage projects or the sustainable management of water resources.
Inverse modeling
One of the central challenges in computational geosciences is the systematic assimilation of observational data into large-scale simulations to address and characterize model parameters and their associated uncertainties. This is necessary to account for measurement error, the scale-dependency of those measurements, and ambiguity in relating physical earth properties to the observations. The Jackson School has been a leader in the development of inverse methods for data assimilation and their application to such areas as seismology, thermal history and climate modeling.
Geophysics
Research in theoretical and computational geophysics includes: the solutions to inverse problems to estimate complex multi-parameter earth models from large data sets; development of numerical methods to simulate wave propagation and deformation in complex materials via finite element and finite difference methods; inference from and analysis of complex systems, such as Earth’s climate variations; and development of algorithms using parallel processing architectures. Researchers relate geophysical datasets to physical properties at scales including whole-earth structure, plate tectonics, sedimentary basins, fluid reservoirs, and pore scales.
Lithospheric deformation modeling
One of the most important problems plate tectonics is to develop a model for solid deformation of the lithosphere with localization over narrow shear zones in the rigid crust and mantle, as well as viscoplastic flow in the ductile lithosphere. To validate such models, numerical simulations of lithospheric deformation must often carry on over the tens of millions years. Therefore, a realistic description and understanding of natural processes requires both the development of a mathematical model and its accurate and fast numerical solution to identify the corresponding parameter regimes. The Jackson School has been a leader for many years in integrating new numerical techniques in computational mechanics and recent geophysical constraints. This effort has allowed for the development of new geological concepts for rifting, mountain building and subduction deriving from forward models of lithospheric deformation.
3D data analysis
Full exploitation of volumetric data sets acquired by X-ray computed tomography (CT) on rocks, fossils, meteorites, and other materials to answer geologic questions requires development of innovative and specialized analysis techniques and methodologies. The Jackson School has been a leader in creating these capabilities to exploit the unique data being generated at its world-leading CT facility. Applications include measuring size, shape and spatial and contact relationships of minerals, clasts and vesicles; measuring the density and anisotropy of trabecular bone fabrics in vertebrate fossils; imaging pore networks and fluid displacement within them; and quantifying fracture roughness and aperture variation and their effect on fluid flow.
Faculty
![]() | Thorsten Beckermantle convection; plate tectonics; structural seismology; numerical modeling; earthquakes; fluid dynamics |
![]() | M Bayani CardenasHydrology and Hydrogeology |
![]() | Kerry H CookClimate dynamics, atmospheric dynamics, global climate change, paleoclimate, climate and weather of Africa and South America, climate system modeling, climate change in Texas |
Sergey FomelComputational and exploration geophysics; seismic imaging; wave propagation; seismic data analysis; inverse problems; geophysical estimation | |
![]() | Anna Ruth (Ruthie) HalberstadtIce-sheet and climate modeling, model-data integration, marine geology, glaciology, geomorphology, paleoclimatology, glacial dynamics, past warm periods, Antarctica, Greenland, ice sheet (in)stability |
![]() | Patrick HeimbachHeimbach's research group (Computational Research in Ice and Ocean Systems -- (CRIOS)), in the Oden Institute is engaged in a number of projects, with main funding from NASA, NSF, and ONR. (1) |
![]() | Marc A HesseMultiphase flow in porous media, geomechanics, numerical simulation, mathematical, modeling, reactive transport, magma dynamics. |
![]() | Luc L LavierTectonics; the structural and geodynamical evolution of continental and oceanic rifts, as well as collisional environments; numerical techniques to model tectonic processes on crustal and lithospheric scales; deformation; subduction |
![]() | Dev NiyogiResearch Group: The University of Texas Extreme weather and Urban Sustainability "TExUS" Lab. Research seeks to significantly contribute to our understanding of the Earth system, particularly the urban and agricultural landscapes, and the dynamic role of coupled land surface processes on regional hydroclimatic extremes. Translate the scientific work undertaken into ... |
![]() | Mrinal K SenSeismic wave propagation including anisotropy, geophysical inverse problems, earthquakes and earth structure, applied seismology, petroleum exploration including 4D seismology |
![]() | Kyle T SpikesExploration Geophysics, in particular rock physics applications and seismic inversion techniques for reservoir characterization. |
![]() | Zong-Liang YangDr. Yang's primary research interest is to understand the exchanges of momentum, radiation, heat, water, carbon dioxide, and other materials between the atmosphere and the Earth surface spanning from small (short) to very large (long) scales. This includes analysis of in-situ and remotely-sensed data for the Earth's surface, and modeling ... |
Affiliated Faculty
![]() | Michael Pyrczgeological modeling, geostatistics, spatial statistics, data analytics, machine learning |
Emeriti
![]() | Robert E DickinsonClimate, Global Warming, Land Surface Processes, Remote Sensing, Hydrological Cycle, Carbon Cycle, and Modeling. |
![]() | Timothy B RoweVertebrate paleontology, evolution and development of the vertebrate skeleton, phylogenetic systematics, the early history of mammals and their extinct relatives among Synapsida, the history of birds and their extinct relatives among Dinosauria, the history of other amniotes, high-resolution X-ray computed tomography, CT scanner, DigiMorph, informatics |
Research Scientists
Shuvajit BhattacharyaPetrophysics, Formation Evaluation, Quantitative Seismic Interpretation, Machine Learning, Integrated Subsurface Characterization, Carbon Sequestration | |
![]() | Timothy L WhiteakerGeographic Information Systems (GIS) in water resources engineering; hydrologic, hydraulic, and water quality modeling; scientific information management; bringing water resources engineering solutions to end users by developing Web and desktop applications. |
Research Staff
Mohsen AhmadianProgram Manager for the Advanced Energy Consortium Managing multidisciplinary nanosensor, miniaturized electronics, and smart materials research for the assessment of subsurface properties in various applications, including energy exploration, geothermal, CCUS, etc. https://www.beg.utexas.edu/aec/ | |
![]() | Robin D Dommisse3D geological interpretation and modeling - Integrated reservoir characterization - Petroleum Geology - Petroleum Engineering - Carbonate sequence stratigraphy - Conventional and unconventional reservoir exploration and development - Oil field exploration and production reservoir management - Petrophysics - Geostatistics - Reservoir simulation - Software development |
![]() | Dave EdeyX-Ray computed tomography, X-ray physics, Tomography reconstruction, Digital morphology, CT data visualization, Volumetric data analysis, Digital educational resources |
![]() | Thomas HessGeoscience software, anisotropic imaging, seismic processing, seismic geometry, deconvolution, problem solving. |
![]() | Jay P KipperPersonnel management, fiscal reporting, budget management, contract negotiation, management of geological samples |
![]() | Kutalmis Saylamremote sensing, lidar, sea ice, marine geophysics, hydrology, lidar bathymetry |
![]() | Yujiang XieGeophysics, Seismology |
Graduate Students
![]() | Tolulope AgbajeTolulope holds a B-Tech in Applied Geology from the Federal University of Technology Akure, an MS in Geology from Kansas State University, and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Geology at the Jackson School of Geosciences. His primary research centers on utilizing machine learning for pore pressure prediction. |
![]() | Cameron CumminsHello! My name is Cameron, I am a first year Master's student and a UT Austin alumni after earning my Bachelor's Degree in Computational Engineering in May of 2023. As a member of the Persad Aero-Climate Lab, I specialize in using big ... |
![]() | Sohini DasguptaI am a Ph.D. candidate focused on computational geophysics and machine learning, where I develop physics-driven carbon monitoring methods and surrogate models for carbon sequestration and storage. My interests include scientific computing, numerical algorithms, and rock physics, and I actively apply machine learning to tackle large-scale joint inversion problems. ... |
Cameron M deFabry | |
![]() | Nicole FerrieNicole Ferrie is a Ph.D. student interested in utilizing geochemical behavior to research seismologic processes and paleoclimate reconstruction. Her research focuses on using boron adsorption and isotopic fractionation (1) as a fluid tracer in shallow subduction complexes and (2) as a proxy for paleoatmospheric CO2 reconstruction in paleosols. Nicole performs experimental ... |
![]() | Shuhua HuI am a PhD Candidate in computational geophysics, interested in using numerical methods, scientific computing and machine learning to solve large-scale geophysical inverse problems. My previous experience includes land seismic data processing, seismic imaging R&D for anisotropic media. |
![]() | Shirley T MensahShirley Mensah completed her BS in Geology and Professional Science Master's in Geographic Information Science and Cartography from Eastern Illinois University. After her graduation, she worked with various companies like Apple and Nicor Gas as a GIS Technician and Geospatial Analyst. Currently, she is a Ph.D. student working with ... |
Neelarun MukherjeeMy research focuses on unraveling the complexities of subsurface flow and reactive transport. I am currently developing robust models to explain these processes, with a current emphasis on transport dynamics in thawing Arctic permafrost driven by global warming. Beyond water cycle implications, my work explores the release and fluxes of ... | |
![]() | Margaret Murakami |
![]() | Romal RamadhanRomal is a PhD student at the Jackson School of Geosciences. His research focuses on fluid flow in porous media and analytical and geomechanical modeling of subsurface energy storage, including geological carbon storage (GCS) and underground hydrogen storage (UHS). |
![]() | Sabrina A ReichertSabrina's work investigates and pursues solutions to processing challenges associated with seismic data from Alaska's North Slope, specifically Prudhoe Bay. Poor data infill and regional structural complexity necessitate more advanced methods of interpolation, among other techniques, to create an image that can be interpreted; moreover, the results of Sabrina's work ... |
![]() | Akshika Rohatgi |
![]() | Owen SeinerIce-sheet climate modeling, glaciology, sub-glacial hydrology, glacial dynamics, past warm periods, Antarctica, Greenland |
![]() | Kevin W Shionalynice-ocean interactions, glaciology, machine learning, acoustics, geophysics |
![]() | Koutian WuWelcome to this webpage and thank you for visiting. Koutian Wu is a first-year Ph.D. student in the LEAD Group at UT Austin. He is interested in enhancing the capabilities of land-climate models and ultimately aims to combine kilometer-scale modeling, in-situ measurements, and remote sensing to address emerging climate ... |
Graduate and undergraduate research in geologic sequestration of CO2GraduateGulf Coast Carbon Center supports a team of students and post docs working in geologic sequestration (deep subsurface long-duration storage) of the major greenhouse gas CO2, as a method to reduce release to the atmosphere. Student projects are wide ranging, from sedimentology to policy, linked in that they are 1) multidisciplinary and 2) applied to current issues. Students are typically jointly supervised by faculty in geology or petroleum geosystems engineering and staff at the GCCC. A class in geologic sequestration is offered in the fall some years. Posted by: Susan Hovorka |
Graduate research opportunities in computational seismologyGraduateTexas Consortium for Computational Seismology is looking for Ph.D. students interested in computational research. Our group works on a broad range of topics in exploration geophysics, from wave-equation seismic imaging and inversion to computational algorithms for seismic data processing and seismic interpretation. The work is supported by industrial sponsors. We use open-source software tools and high-performace computing resources. Posted by: Sergey Fomel |
Postdoctoral Fellowship PositionGraduateMarch 27, 2018 Postdoctoral Fellowship Position The Bureau of Economic Geology in the Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin currently has long-term, funded projects on the environmental implications of CO2 sequestration. We are currently recruiting recent Ph.D. scientists or engineers for a postdoctoral fellowship position. Position: Numerical and Analytical Modeling of Fluid Flow in Porous Media Related to CO2 Injection General topics of research is related to reservoir fluid flow modeling and simulations in CO2-EOR/Sequestrations settings with various focuses including history matching, optimization algorithms, regional geomechanics and economics related to oil and gas production. We are interested in outstanding fellowship applicants with direct experience in reservoir simulation using commercial packages specially CMG package (all modules). Experience in running simulations in parallel environment is a plus. Candidates must have interest in theoretical analyses and mathematical modeling of fluid flow problems. Strong and deep understanding of fundamentals of reservoir engineering and coding skills in Matlab, Python or other relevant programing languages are required. We anticipate that the successful candidate will have formal training in petroleum engineering or related fields. Successful candidate will be part of Gulf Coast Carbon Center (GCCC), an interdisciplinary team of research geologists and engineers who conduct CO2-sequestration research at the Bureau of Economic Geology. GCCC is one of the worlds leading research groups in CO2 sequestration. Our Frio brine injection experiment was the first to monitor CO2 injection into brine, and we are currently involved in several large scale CO2 injection monitoring projects in the U.S. GCCC collaborates closely with faculty in departments across the UT-Austin campus, other universities, and U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories. This position will be based in North Austin, at the J.J. Pickle Research Campus, The University of Texas at Austin. Austin is often on the list of top 10 places to live in the U.S. Please send a resume and a short expression of interest to: Dr. Seyyed Abolfazl Hosseini Email at: seyyed.hosseini@beg.utexas.edu The University of Texas at Austin is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer. All positions are security sensitive, and conviction verification is conducted on applicants selected. Posted by: Seyyed Hosseini |
Student OpportunitiesGraduateI am always interested in adding motivated new students to my Earthquake Science research team in the Jackson School. For prospective graduate students, please review the application guidelines and expectations listed on the Jackson School website (see orange link above). We do not accept "off track" admissions in the Jackson School, so the standard Fall application season is your best bet. I strongly encourage prospective students to reach out to me via email during this time with your CV and research interests. I highly value diversity in thought and experience, and students from underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply. Posted by: Daniel Trugman |
Sustainable Urban SystemsGraduateSustainable Urban Systems Posted by: Darrel Tremaine |
Electromechanical instrumentation designGraduateElectromechanical instrumentation design Posted by: Darrel Tremaine |
PhD/MS opportunitiesGraduateMy group welcomes new students with strong motivations on understanding how solid Earth and planets operate and its impacts on shaping habitable surface environments. Prospective students are expected to have a STEM background. If these describe you, feel free to contact me through email for position openings in my group. Posted by: Chenguang Sun |
Analyzing seismic data using machine learning techniquesUndergraduateSeismic recordings are used to detect earthquakes and to create images of the Earths interior. Seismic data contain rich patterns that can be discovered for extracting detailed information. Newly developed machine learning techniques aid in the discovery process. Deep learning has been used to detect arrivals of seismic signals from earthquakes and volcano eruptions and to extract from subsurface images such features, as faults, channels, salt bodies, etc. In detecting geological features, computational algorithms prove to be as powerful or even more powerful than the human eye, especially in higher dimensions. In this project, we are adopting the latest ideas from the field of machine learning and artificial intelligence to improve the resolution ability of seismic images. Our objective is to advance the state of the art in discovering seismic data patterns. The approaches include unsupervised learning for analyzing seismic waveforms and compressing data in the transformed domain and supervised learning for teaching the computer how to imitate the work of human interpreters. We are seeking an enthusiastic student to participate in this project. The student will develop data-analysis skills and contribute to an open-source software project. Some prior familiarity with seismology and machine learning, as well as some prior experience with computer programming using Python are helpful but not required Posted by: Sergey Fomel |
Graduate opportunities at OCEEMlabGraduate - Five yearsOCEEMlab welcomes future graduate students of high caliber who are passionate about exploring new frontiers in Ocean and Earth science. At OCEEMlab, we study lithosphere-biosphere dynamic processes and complex systems using a combination of fieldwork, advanced computational modeling, and integrative data science. We seek candidates with solid foundations in natural sciences and programming skills. We are especially interested in bringing on board individuals with interdisciplinary knowledge who are highly motivated in weaving disciplines such as geophysics, geology, oceanography, geochemistry, and environmental molecular biology to address contemporary challenging research questions. Most importantly, in the core values of OCEEMlab lies courtesy to one another, encouraging natural curiosity, and cohesive teamwork; As a team, we can achieve far more than individuals. In addition, we firmly believe that groundbreaking discoveries are accomplished by walking on the fringes of science rather than at the center. Thus, we encourage unorthodox genuine thinkers to join our team and help us stretch the envelope of human knowledge a tiny bit further. Posted by: Eric Attias |
Postdocs opportunities at OCEEMlabGraduate - Two yearsOCEEMlab welcomes applicants via UTIG's Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellows Program. At OCEEMlab, we study lithosphere-biosphere dynamic processes and complex systems using a combination of fieldwork, advanced computational modeling, and integrative data science. We are especially interested in bringing on board individuals with interdisciplinary knowledge who are highly motivated in weaving disciplines such as geophysics, geology, oceanography, geochemistry, and environmental molecular biology to address contemporary challenging research questions. Contact Dr. Attias for further information. Posted by: Eric Attias |
Summer intern/undergrad job Summer 2023 at TACCUndergraduateThe Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) is seeking a summer intern to join the HighPerformance Computing group for the Summer 2023. The position is supported by the Seismic COmputational Platform for Empowering Discovery (SCOPED) project funded by NSF. The intern will primarily work on polishing and writing documents of the software tools supported by SCOPED. The tools are written in Python and C++, so basic understanding of these languages will be helpful. Additionally, experience with docker containers is preferred. Responsibilities: Review and revise existing documents of software tools and containers Find and correct any issues in the documentation Improve the wording and presentation of the documents Work collaboratively with the development team to ensure accuracy and consistency in the documents Requirements: Must be currently enrolled in a bachelor's or master's degree program at UT Basic understanding of Python and C/C++ languages Familiarity with docker containers is preferred Exceptional precision and accuracy when reviewing and editing documents to ensure they are error-free. Excellent written and verbal communication skills Ability to work independently and collaboratively with the development team Background in Seismology is a plus Required Materials Resume Letter of interest To apply, please send your resume and letter to Ian Wang (iwang@tacc.utexas.edu) via emails before Apr 15, 2023. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and encourage individuals from underrepresented groups to apply Posted by: Thorsten Becker |
MTMOD Megathrust modeling frameworkUndergraduateVarious summer projects and undergraduate research opportunities Posted by: Thorsten Becker |
Mantle and Fault System Dynamics Graduate ResearchGraduateThe UT Geodynamics Team is always looking for motivated graduate and undergraduate students. The University of Texas at Austin hosts an exciting and diverse community of researchers at the Jackson School of Geoscience, which includes the UTIG and DGS units with which I am affiliated. At UT, we are colocated and collaborate with a number of others, including at the Texas Advanced Computing Center and the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences. We are always looking for motivated students with a keen interest and solid background in the Earth sciences, physics, engineering, or computer science. Please take a look at some of our recent publications to give you an idea of current projects, but I like to work with students who think and work independently and challenge and extend my expertise and interests. Please consider applying for our program should you be interested in pursuing a PhD in my research group, and see the JSG pages for admission procedures. The (important) Fellowship deadline is December 1 each year. If you think this could be a match, please do reach out by email. Posted by: Thorsten Becker |
Ph.D. Opportunities in Environmental Seismology and Energy TransitionGraduateMy research group "Seismo4D" is actively looking for PhD students and postdocs. Please email me if you're interested. Our group applies 4D seismology to understand Earth's physical processes associated with climate change and energy transition. Potential research topics focus on fluid/vapor systems in Earth's shallow subsurface, including hydrological processes, geothermal energy exploitation, critical zones, and volcanic unrest. Students in our group will develop and employ cutting-edge seismic techniques (such as passive seismic interferometry and time-lapse imaging) to study the spatiotemporal evolution and physical mechanisms of subsurface processes. Posted by: Shujuan Mao |
Carbon Cycle in Arctic PermafrostGraduateI am looking for a new graduate student who is interested in research on carbon cycle in Arctic Permafrost. Posted by: Kehua You |
Carbon Cpature and Geologic StorageUndergraduate - ongoing - get in touch: tip.meckel@beg.utexas.eduThe Gulf Coast Carbon Center often engages with undergradutes in geology, EER, and petroleum engineering on topic related to carbon capture and geologic storage (CCS). Posted by: Tip Meckel |
Students/postdocs on ML/AI-based earthquake data analysisGraduateI am looking for self-motivated graduate students and postdocs who are interested in research on advanced earthquake data analysis using ML/AL. Posted by: Yangkang Chen |
Center for Planetary Systems HabitabilityThe Center for Planetary Systems Habitability is an interdisciplinary research center at UT and is the result of a partnership between the Jackson School, the College of Natural Sciences, and the Cockrell School of Engineering. The center advances our ability to search for life on other planets by collaborating on research that helps better understand where habitable zones develop and how they evolve within planetary systems. |
High-Resolution X-ray Computed Tomography FacilityThe High-Resolution X-ray Computed Tomography Facility at The University of Texas at Austin (UTCT) is a national shared multi-user facility supported by the Instrumentation and Facilities Program of NSF's Earth Sciences (EAR) directorate. UTCT offers scientific researchers across the earth, biological and engineering sciences access to a completely nondestructive technique for visualizing features in the interior of opaque solid objects, and for obtaining digital information on their 3D geometries and properties. |
Quantitative Clastics LaboratoryThe Quantitative Clastics Laboratory (QCL) carries out geologic studies of the processes, tectonics, and quantitative morphology of basins around the world, with research that emphasizes the use of mega-merged 3D seismic data sets for quantitative seismic geomorphologic study of the basin fill, evaluation of source-to-sink relationships between the shelf, slope and deep basin and analyses of the influence of tectonics and fluids on the evolution of these complex continental margin settings. |
Texas Consortium for Computational SeismologyThe mission of the Texas Consortium for Computational Seismology is to address the most important and challenging research problems in computational geophysics as experienced by the energy industry while educating the next generation of research geophysicists and computational scientists. |
Affiliated UT Programs & Centers
Texas Advanced Computing CenterThe Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at The University of Texas at Austin is one of the leading centers of computational excellence in the United States. Located on the J.J. Pickle Research Campus, the center's mission is to enable discoveries that advance science and society through the application of advanced computing technologies. |