Seismology and geodynamics

Thorsten Becker is assistant professor of Earth sciences in the USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Thorsten Becker's primary research interests are seismology and geodynamics, with a focus on understanding the interactions between mantle convection and geologically observed deformation processes on the surface, ranging from earthquakes to the formation of mountains.

Using an interdisciplinary approach, Becker employs high-performance computing and data visualization to create quantitative models of convection, flow, and stresses in the Earth's mantle. His seismological models explore earthquake interactions, the buildup of crustal stress along faults, and slip rates.

Funding for Becker's research comes from the National Science Foundation, the German Academic Exchange Service, the European Science Foundation, the Green Foundation, the Heraeus Foundation, and the Southern California Earthquake Center(SCEC), a leading consortium of earthquake researchers at more than 40 universities and other institutions that is headquartered at USC.

Becker is also closely associated with computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics (CIG), a membership- governed organization that supports and promotes Earth sciences by developing and maintaining software for computational geophysics and related fields. On behalf of its member institutions, CIG works under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation to develop, support, and disseminate open- source software for the greater geodynamics community.

Becker's honors include a 2007 National Science Foundation Early Career Award. As part of this award, Becker is developing a new course on numerical methods in Earth sciences as well as two new software modules that will be used in graduate and undergraduate courses. The software will allow students to learn more about the geophysics of the Earth's mantle, explore how thes dynamics affect plate tectonics, and develop valuable quantitative skills.