PhD Students

Sedimentology, Stable Isotope Geochemistry, Carbon cycle, Marine Geology

I am currently working on deep marine sediments to understand what impact climate changes (especially through Eocene) had on ocean floor sedimentation.

Seismology, Seismic Imaging, Inversion

experimental petrology, geochemistry, carbon, volcanic degassing

Experimental investigation into the geochemical (mineral, melt, fluid composition) interaction between subvolcanic magma (and hydrothermal fluids) particularly in continental arcs, and crustal carbonate, quantifying volcanic CO2 emissions

Experimental Petrology, Geochemistry, Igneous processes, sulfur in subduction zone

I am interested in Earth's deep sulfur cycle, the fate of sulfur at subduction zones that constrain the stability and mobility of sulfides and sulfates hosted in subducting crust and sediments.

Seismology, Geophysical inverse problems

Geomorphology, Sedimentology, Stratigraphy

The broad aim of my scientific research is exploring sediment transport processes and channel dynamics in rivers and deltas by coupling field observations and measurements with existing theories in geomorphology.

carbon cycle, carbonates, calcite solubility, brines, graphite, eclogite, high P-T experiments

I use high pressure experiments to study how carbon is moving around and where it eventually ends up within our planet.

Particle-based modeling, numerical modeling, tectonics, geomorphology, surface processes, landscape evolution

My doctoral research focuses on developing a particle-based numerical model of the coupled tectonic and geomorphologic processes along the Hikurangi margin on the Northern Island of New Zealand.

volcanology, geophysics

https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-furtney-62a49263

Experimental Petrology, Geochemistry, Planetary Sciences

Multi-scale and Multi-phase Seismic imaging, Migration, Wave Propagation, Data Processing

My research in seismology mainly consists of multi-scale and multi-phase seismic imaging of earth structures, such as common conversion point (CCP) imaging, full waveform adjoint tomography, etc. I focus on improving the imaging techniques to suppress imaging artifacts, enhance the resolution and so on. Besides, I also utilize reflection data (e.g, water column multiples) to study oceanic earthquakes which reveal critical clues for the tectonics of oceanic plates.

Physical Volcanology, Multiphase Flow, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Fluid Flow in Porous Media

geochemistry; U-Pb geochronology; pseudotachylite; arc unroofing; agate;

Carbonate Sedimentology, Sequence Stratigraphy, Microbial Reefs, Photogrammetry, Coral Reefs, Reef Morphologies

Pankaj Khanna is currently working on three projects in his PhD at Rice University. Utilizing latest data-sets (multibeam bathymetry and high resolution drone imagery) the ultimate goal of the PhD is to understand morphological evolution of reefs in different localities around world (Gulf of Mexico - Uppermost Pleistocene Reefs, Maldives - Uppermost Pleistocene/Holocene reefs. and Central Texas - Upper Cambrian Microbial Reefs) and to compare the modern and ancient carbonate systems.

Clumped isotopes

I am now measuring the kinetic fractionation factor for clumped O2 gas exchange between water and air.

Oceanography, Geochemistry, Biogeochemistry, Arctic, Environmental

Hello! My name is Clint Miller. I am a geochemist at Rice University. My research focuses on understanding the biogeochemistry of shallow organic-rich ocean sediments. These sediments undergo complex alteration prior to deep burial. Specific locations of study include Arctic East Siberian continental shelf/slope, offshore Peru, and Sea of Japan.

sediment transport, geomorphology, stratigraphy, bedforms

Velocity analysis, seismic processing, seismic imaging, seismic interpretation

My thesis subject is implementing velocity analysis in the surface offset domain. Like other variants of velocity analysis (shot, plane-wave based), I use offsets as an additional dimension to allow the inversion to avoid cycle skipping. This algorithm required developing reverse-time migration (RTM) in the common offset domain, and its extension to a least-squares migration, both currently in preparation for publication.

Coastal Geology, Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, Paleotempestology.

Glacial geology, marine geology, sedimentology, stratigraphy

My research is motivated by the need for an understanding of complex ice-ocean interactions that influence ice sheet stability. Using detailed sedimentology coupled with high-resolution bathymetric data, I define paleo-environments that are critical in determining timing, rates, style, and processes involved in past ice sheet retreat. My work is centered on Antarctic glacial margins, primarily in the Ross Sea and Marguerite Bay.

charcoal, black carbon, soils, carbon cycle, fire, pyrogenic carbon

My research focuses on the effect that wildfire has on both short and long term soil carbon storage, and on how soil properties affect charcoal created during these fires.

Experimental petrology ; Igneous processes ; Continental lithospheric mantle

Metasomatic processes in the continental lithospheric mantle and their role in physical and chemical properties beneath continents

Seismic data interpretation, attribute analysis, structural geology, seismic reflection data processing, hyper-extension

I currently focus on the Galicia-Newfoundland conjugate margins and how the extension factor (β) is related to narrow and wide rifting modes, and oceanic core complexes.

Coupled surface/interior processes of planets within and external to our solar system. Numerical and physical modeling of convective processes -- planetary to magma chamber scale -- occurring in planetary bodies.

geophysics, modeling

Geophysics, Mantle dynamics

seismology, geophysics

I am developing new parallel computational algorithms for full-waveform inversion and normal modes problems.

biogeochemistry, aqueous geochemistry

pyrogenic organic carbon, atmospheric chemistry, biosphere-atmosphere-climate interactions

petrophysics, compaction trends, pore structure evolution, Lattice-Boltzmann, fracture propogation

My research focus lies in understanding petrophysical responses of shale and pore-structure evolution upon fluid injection and expansion.

Geodynamics, Paleomagnetism, Tectonophysics.

Plate velocities relative to global hotspot reference frame;
Hotspot motion from surface observation of hotspot track trends;
Pattern of seismic anisotropy and relationship with absolute plate motion.

Structural Geology; Reservoir Characterization; Well logging; Discrete Element Method; Geomechanics

Numerical Simulations of Forearc Deformation and Stress Switching

Tectonics, Tectonophysics, Paleomagnetism

1. Investigated the Cocos-Nazca-Pacific Plate circuit non-closure from latest bathymetry dataset. Identified the new Malpelo and Coiba plate from Nazca plate separated by diffuse plate boundary.

2. Conducted structural modeling of North America and South America plate, and Qaidam Basin, by fluid mechanics methods. Applied thin viscous sheet models to diffuse plate boundaries of both oceanic crust and continental crust, estimated the strain rate and investigated deformation in this region.

3. Investigated oblique spreading of mid-ocean ridges by comparing the strikes with directions determined from best-fitting angular velocity. Built geodynamic models to analyze plume effects and the stress and strain field of the oceanic lithosphere.