About Us

School brochure

Stanford Earth scientists work to gain a better understanding of our planet’s history and its future, the energy and resource base that supports society, geologic hazards that impact a growing population, a changing climate, and the challenge of sustainability. We use a variety of methods and tools to address our research questions, including field work, laboratory and experimental studies, and computer modeling.

Some of our faculty and students focus on the history and structure of the Earth, the physics and chemistry of earth materials, the processes that cycle those materials on a global scale, and the interaction of human activities with geological processes and resources. Others combine the principles of physics and geology to explore the Earth using seismic waves, electromagnetic fields, satellite data, and rock physics, and to address questions about global earth structure, earthquakes and fault mechanics, volcanic processes, surface deformation, and groundwater contamination. Others build on a foundation of engineering principles to explore a variety of aspects of Earth’s energy resources, including optimizing oil recovery from petroleum reservoirs, carbon capture and sequestration, efficient geothermal energy extraction, and non-traditional energy resources. Finally, some go beyond the disciplines within the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences to combine science fundamentals with the economic, societal, and political expertise necessary for the investigation of complex environmental problems caused by human activities in interaction with natural changes in the Earth system.

Please explore our four departments (Geological and Environmental Sciences, Geophysics, Energy Resources Engineering, and Earth System Science) and our two interdisciplinary programs (the Earth Systems Program and the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources) to learn more about our research and teaching.