Stanford University
Showing 41-50 of 117 Results
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Gerald Mavko
Professor (Research) of Geophysics, Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsResearch
I work to discover and understand the relationship between geophysical measurements and the rock and fluid properties that they sample in the Earth. My students and I have begun to understand the impact of rock type, porosity, pore fluids, temperature, and stress on seismic wave propagation and electromagnetic response. We are also working to quantify the links between geophysical measurements and the sedimentary and diagenetic processes that determine rock mineralogy and texture. Ultimately, this work allows us to better infer, from geophysical images, the composition and physical conditions at depth.
Teaching
I teach courses for graduate and undergraduate students on rock physics--the study of the physical properties of rocks and how they can be detected and mapped using seismic and electrical methods. This includes theory, laboratory measurements, and field data analysis. I also lead seminars in which students present and critique their ongoing research in rock physics.
Professional Activities
Associate chair, Department of Geophysics (2006-2008); distinguished lecturer, Society of Exploration Geophysicists (2006); honorary membership, Society of Exploration Geophysicists (2001); nominated for Reginald Fessenden Award, Society of Exploration Geophysicists (2000); School of Earth Sciences Excellence in Teaching Award (2000) -
Eric Mayer
Postdoctoral Scholar, Earth System Science
BioEnding catastrophic wildfires by making biochar.
Eric Mayer earned a PhD in Environmental Engineering from Stanford University (2020), where he studied fluid mechanics and published research parameterizing lee-wave drag for ocean circulation models, tangentially improving global climate simulations.
Graduating in the early months of the pandemic and eager to act on the implications of his research, Eric went looking for a more immediate way to effect the climate crisis. Upon learning of biochar’s potential for rapidly-scalable carbon sequestration and the simple technologies already developed for on-site biochar production, Eric founded the biochar-as-a-service company Napachar. Today, you can find Napachar in the vineyards and forests of Napa and Sonoma, California, diverting pulled vines and forestry slash from burn piles to bake in flame-cap biochar kilns, returning "waste" carbon to the soil.
Beginning in the spring of 2026, Eric returned to Stanford in a postdoctoral position with the Woods Institute for the Environment and the Doerr School of Sustainability Accelerator, with the mission of ending catastrophic wildfire in fire-adapted forests by making biochar. -
David Thomas McColl
Affiliate, Energy Science & Engineering
BioDavid McColl is the Executive Director of Stanford Climate Ventures. He received a B.S. in Management Science & Engineering and an M.S. in Energy Resources Engineering from Stanford University. He is an Adjunct Professor in Energy Resources Engineering, a research fellow at the Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy & Finance, and a partner at Echelon.
