Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
Showing 101-110 of 146 Results
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Joshua Ott
Ph.D. Student in Aeronautics and Astronautics, admitted Autumn 2021
Ph.D. Minor, Earth and Planetary SciencesBioJoshua is a fourth-year Ph.D. Candidate in Aeronautics & Astronautics at Stanford University and is a recipient of the Stanford Graduate Fellowship (SGF) in Science & Engineering. He is currently serving on Active Duty in the United States Air Force through the DAWN-ED PhD fellowship. Joshua is a researcher in the Stanford Intelligent Systems Lab (SISL) where his research focuses on decision making under uncertainty for autonomous systems. Joshua has also conducted research in collaboration with SISL and NASA JPL related to the DARPA Subterranean Challenge.
Joshua earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 2020. During his time at UC Berkeley, Joshua's work focused on optimization methods for bioinspired design, machine learning for real time manufacturing control, and experimental multi-phase flow analysis. Joshua has also interned at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. -
Ayla Pamukcu
Assistant Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences and, by courtesy, of Geophysics
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsI have long been fascinated by magmas and volcanic eruptions, for reasons ranging from purely academic (trying to understand the magmatic construction of Earth’s crust) to purely practical (developing effective monitoring and mitigation strategies for volcanic eruptions). Consequently, my research revolves around understanding how, when, where, and why magmas are stored, evolve, and ultimately do (or do not!) erupt.
Within this context, I focus on two main themes: (1) the temporal, chemical, and physical, evolution of magmas, and (2) the interplay between magma storage conditions in the crust and magmatic processes. I employ a multi-faceted approach to explore these topics, integrating data from multiple scales and perspectives; my studies capitalize on information contained in field relations, crystal and melt inclusion textures (sizes, shapes, positions), crystal and volcanic glass geochemistry, geochronology, phase-equilibria and numerical modeling, and experiments. As a function of this approach, I am also engaged in the development of novel methods to address petrologic problems in new, better, and more refined ways than is currently possible.
A major focus of my research has been on supereruptions – gigantic explosive eruptions the likes of which we have never seen in recorded human history – but I am continually exploring other kinds of magmatic systems. I am currently particularly interested in the links (or lack thereof) between extrusive (i.e., erupted) and intrusive (i.e., unerupted) magmas, similarities/differences between large- and small-volume eruptions, and similarities/differences between magmas generated at different levels of the crust. I have also had a longstanding interest in the interactions and relationships between humans and their geologic surroundings (particularly volcanoes). -
Nidhi Utkarshbhai Patel
Ph.D. Student in Earth and Planetary Sciences, admitted Autumn 2023
BioPlants display enormous diversity of forms today that, have evolved over geological timescales after plants successfully colonized land. Currently, I am interested in learning more about evolutionary changes in plant structures including specialized reproductive organs of seed plants. I study plant fossil record from deep time and living plants with the aim to develop a better understanding of origins of plant reproductive structures and drivers of morphological evolution in plants. Previously, I have looked at spore-pollen record preserved in sedimentary rocks from Canada. These microscopic fossils and their distribution in space and time can help us elucidate the response of vegetation to past extinction events.
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Jonathan Payne
Dorrell William Kirby Professor, Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment and Professor, by courtesy, of Biology,
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy goal in research is to understand the interaction between environmental change and biological evolution using fossils and the sedimentary rock record. How does environmental change influence evolutionary and ecological processes? And conversely, how do evolutionary and ecological changes affect the physical environment? I work primarily on the marine fossil record over the past 550 million years.
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Kenneth Peters
Adjunct Professor, Earth & Planetary Sciences
BioKen Peters retired as Geochemistry Advisor for Schlumberger in 2020 where he used geochemistry and numerical modeling to study petroleum systems. He has 42 years of experience with Chevron, Mobil, ExxonMobil, USGS, UC Berkeley, Stanford University, and Schlumberger and published >200 peer-reviewed geology, geochemistry, and basin modeling books and papers. He was Honorary Teaching Fellow at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland and Visiting Professor at Jacobs University in Germany. He is a Schlumberger NExT instructor, an EAGE Lecturer, Fellow in the Geochemical Society, AAPG Charles Taylor Fellow, and Adjunct Professor at Stanford University where he is a founding co-principal in the Basin Processes and Subsurface Modeling Industrial Affiliates Program [https://bpsm.stanford.edu/]. He was Chair of the 1998 Gordon Research Conference on Organic Geochemistry, Co-Convener of two AAPG Hedberg Research Conferences on Basin and Petroleum System Modeling (2009 and 2016), Chair of the AAPG Research Committee (2007-2010), and AAPG Distinguished Lecturer (2009 and 2010). He is principal author of The Biomarker Guide (1993, 2005), editor for the 2009 AAPG compact disk Getting Started in Basin and Petroleum System Modeling and principal editor of the 2012 AAPG Hedberg Series 4 volume on Basin Modeling: New Horizons in Research and Applications. He is co-editor for the 2012 SEPM Special Publication 103 on Analyzing the Thermal History of Sedimentary Basins: Methods and Case Studies. He is Associate Editor for AAPG Bulletin, Journal of Petroleum Geology, and Organic Geochemistry. He received the 2009 Alfred E. Treibs Medal presented on behalf of the Geochemical Society for major achievements over a period of years in the field of organic geochemistry. He received the 2013 AAPG Honorary Member Award for service and devotion to the science and profession of petroleum geology and the 2016 EAGE Alfred Wegener Award for outstanding contributions to the scientific and technical advancement of petroleum geoscience [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxWei5Da2mI]. He twice shared the Schlumberger Henri Doll Prize for Innovation (2009, 2013). In 2017, he was one of 100 ‘Heritage of the Petroleum Geologist’ honorees selected by the Division of Professional Affairs of AAPG to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of AAPG. In 2019, Ken received AAPG’s highest honor, the Sidney Powers Memorial Award, at the AAPG ACE in San Antonio [https://www.aapg.org/videos/award/articleid/53126/ken-peters-receives-the-2019-sidney-powers-award]. In 2022 Ken became an elected Member of the National Academy of Engineering in recognition of development and application of geochemistry for basin analysis, hydrocarbon production, and biodegradation metrics [https://www.nae.edu/]. Ken has B.A. and M.A. degrees in geology from UCSB and a Ph.D. in geochemistry from UCLA. https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=QvmmOJYAAAAJ&hl=en
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Eliane Petersohn
Ph.D. Student in Geological Sciences, admitted Autumn 2022
BioI grew up in Curitiba, a city in southern Brazil, and, moved to Rio de Janeiro to join the Brazilian National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) years ago.
I have a strong grasp of the oil and gas industry, where I have been working for more than 15 years. I have a bachelor’s and master's degree in geology from the Federal University of Parana, Brazil and, I have become a public servant of the ANP, where I have held different technical and managerial positions. I spent these past 15 years working on the ANP’s large-scale strategic projects, conducting a geological evaluation for Brazil’s bidding rounds, and developing a multiyear geological and geophysical data acquisition plan for the Agency. I was also responsible for coordinating the first phase of the onerous assignment process, which authorized the Brazilian Government to onerously assign to NOC Petrobras up to 5 billion barrels of oil. I have also been directly involved in the location of two wells, which discovered two of the country's largest oil fields (Buzios and Mero fields). As a geologist researcher, my main objective aims at acquiring capabilities and developing the knowledge required to manage reservoirs to maximize oil recovery and extend the lifespan of oil fields as well as acquire a solid understanding of oil reservoir management to bring innovative knowledge to Brazil and help create guidelines to monitor oil field development and production in my country.
