Marine Geophysics

Postdoctoral Researcher Scientist at San Diego State University 

PhD in Geophysics at Scripps Institution of Oceanography

I investigate submarine mass wasting, offshore fault activity, and related geohazards in the California Continental Borderland, a tectonically complex region offshore Southern California that accommodates a component of Pacific–North American plate motion.

My research combines high-resolution marine geophysics, core physical-property analysis, and sediment-core geochemistry to reconstruct the history, recurrence, and mechanisms of submarine slope failure and fault rupture. A central goal of my work is to identify and characterize previously undetected mass transport deposits (MTDs), including thin, fine-grained events, and to refine offshore seismic stratigraphy and fault geometry.

Research objectives

My current project focuses on:

1. Constrain offshore earthquake history, recurrence, and potential rupture scenarios to improve submarine paleoseismicity reconstructions;

2. Quantify triggers and preconditioning factors, frequency and spatial distribution of MTDs across multiple basins;

3. Integrate ground motion and sediment shear strength to assess the earthquake magnitude required to trigger slope failure;

4. Improve understanding of slope failure mechanisms and tsunami potential, particularly under multi-basin rupture scenarios.