Research

USC geoscientists study basic questions on the operation of the Earth system, from understanding convection in the mantle to the evolution of life, and explore compelling problems at the interfaces of traditional sub-disciplines. Through this interdisciplinary approach, our research is addressing problems of increasing social relevance—such as development of bio fuel cell technology, modeling of El Nino effects, geoinformatics, and seismic hazard analysis.

Our students and faculty are involved in field research projects worldwide; our impact is global. For example, SCEC has developed earthquake response primers that will save lives in regions threatened by earthquakes, worldwide; our study of Earth systems behavior links social systems to the physical world.

We also take advantage of research collaborations with other USC schools and departments, such as Marine and Environmental Biology, the Graduate Program in Ocean Sciences, the Viterbi School of Engineering, and the USC Sol Price School of Policy.