Research Interests

  • Geohazards, safety/risk, and sustainability assessments (Earth and Environmental Sciences)
  • Development of computer aided interpretation and decision support systems (e.g., artificial intelligence, machine learning) to cope high-volume, multi-dimensional and complex data (GeoComputation).
  • Concepts for extractive industries, green house gas underground storage and renewable energy, e.g., cost/benefit and revenue optimization (Environmental Engineering, Resources Economics)

Research Projects and Locations

China:Earthquake hazard analysis of the  2008 M7.9 Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan province. It is likely that this "black swan" event was triggered by local and abnormal mass changes stemming from the sub-surface.

Australia: Hazard assessment, risk,  and sustainability analyses (cost/benefit) of triggered earthquakes most likely as result of 200 years of coal mining.  

Europe/Japan: Earthquake hazard assessment due to coastal erosion and coastal management.

Haiti and Dominican Republic: Hazard and risk assessment (infant mortality, political stability and conflicts) as result of tropical storms (primary natural geohazard) and deforestation (secondary human-triggered geohazard).

Italy: Human health risk assessment and safety management concepts due to toxic/asphyxiant gas hazard: on Vulcano island SO2 gas concentrations go beyond proclaimed alert thresholds of the European Union and World Health Organization.  

South Africa: Earthquake hazard assessment in the vicinity of deep underground gold mines.

Switzerland: Hazard prediction of potential earthquake sources in and around the 60 km long and up to 2000 m deep Gotthard base tunnel.

USA: Injection optimization and hazard assessment of carbon dioxide injections into deep rock formations.

Software Engineering: Artificially intelligent expert systems to estimating earthquake hazard maps in space and time, e.g., in the vicinity of CO2 injection plumes in deeper rock formations.
Click to use the GMP software online  >>  


Professional Societies

International Studies Association (ISA)
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Seismological Society of Japan (SSJ)


Professional Working Groups

Member of the Technical Adviser Committee of the U.S. EPA for renewable Energy projects in Long Beach in the City of Los Angeles, CA