About
Biography
I am a Ph.D. candidate in Geophysics at the University of Southern California since 2021. I received my B.Sc. in Geophysics from Peking University in 2020. Before joining USC, I was a Research Assistant at the Institute of Geophysics, China Earthquake Administration, from 2020 to 2021. In June 2025, I will join the Seismological Laboratory at Caltech as a Postdoctoral Scholar Research Associate in Geophysics.
Research Interests
As an observational seismologist, my research interests span from the shallowest crust to the deepest inner core. My current work focuses on investigating earthquake source properties and exploring heterogeneities within the Earth. While I believe that the first principle of seismology is reading seismograms, I also appreciate the philosophy of modelers and experimentalists. By integrating diverse observational datasets with theoretical methods and computational tools, I aim to provide novel insights into the intricate interplay between seismic processes and Earth's complex structure and dynamics. I believe that an exemplary geophysical model should be elegant in its simplicity.
News
- 04/2025 I successfully defended my Ph.D. thesis!
- 04/2025 I have started my service on the AGU Seismology Session Early Career Subcommittee
- 01/2025 I recieved postdoc fellowships from both SeismoLab at Caltech and IGPP, UCSD
- 12/2024 My paper Aftershocks on the planar rupture surface of the deep-focus Mw 7.9 Bonin Islands earthquake is accepted by TSR and reported by SSA
- 12/2024 I received my second Earth Sciences Graduate Student Research Award ($3000) to support the upcoming Array of Arrays fieldwork
- 09/2024 My paper Scattering Evidence for an Ancient Subducted Slab Using the Unique Raypath P*PKP is accepted by GRL
- 04/2024 I have passed my qualifying exam, and am now officially a Ph.D. candidate!
- 01/2024 My paper Enhancing Regional Seismic Velocity Models With Higher-Resolution Local Results Using Sparse Dictionary Learning is accepted by JGR: Solid Earth
- 06/2023 My paper Lateral Variations Across the Southern San Andreas Fault Zone Revealed From Analysis of Traffic Signals at a Dense Seismic Array is accepted by GRL
- 03/2023 The GJI paper on Fault Zone Head Waves has been accepted, which includes contributions from my undergraduate work.
Resume
Education
Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics
2021 - 2025
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
- Advisors: John E. Vidale & Yehuda Ben-Zion
- Dissertation: Dynamics and Structure of Subduction Zones Unveiled through Novel Seismic Techniques
Bachelor of Science in Geophysics
2016 - 2020
Peking University, Beijing, China
- Advisor: Xiaofei Chen
- Thesis: Frequency-Bessel Transform Method to Extract Higher-Mode Rayleigh Dispersion Curves
Professional Experience
Graduate Research Assistant
2021 - 2025
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Research Assistant
2020 - 2021
Institute of Geophysics, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing, China
Honers & Awards
- 2025 Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Postdoctoral Fellowship, IGPP, UCSD
- 2025 Geophysics Option Postdoctoral Fellowship, Caltech
- 2024 Earth Sciences Graduate Student Research Award, USC
- 2023 Earth Sciences Graduate Student Research Award, USC
- 2020 Distinguished Graduate, PKU
- 2020 Distinguished Graduate, Beijing City
- 2019 Outstanding Research Award, PKU
- 2017 Merit Student, PKU
- 2017 May Fourth Scholarship, PKU
Publications
I consider that the “truth” lies at the intersection of physics, thermodynamics, geology, petrology, tectonics, fluid dynamics ... — Don L. Anderson
- All
- Source
- Structure
- Lab & Fieldwork
- Zhang, H. & Jordan, T.H., Searching for slow precursors to megathrust earthquakes, in prep.
- Wu, B., Li, B., Zhang, H., Huang, S., Li, G. & Gabriel, A.-A., Near‑fault Strong‑motion of the 2023 Mw7.8 Kahramanmaraş Earthquake: Insights into High‑frequency Radiation Mechanisms, submitted
- Zhang, H., Barbot, S., Yang, Z., Zhang, L., Liu, M. & Platt, J., Large megathrust earthquakes in cold mantle wedge corners under lawsonite blueschist facies, under review
- Zhang, H. & Vidale, J.E., Earthquake high-frequency energy radiation scales with rupture complexity, under review
- Zhang, S., Houston, H., Wang, B. & Zhang, H., Mapping of absolute stresses around two California earthquakes reveals a very weak crust, under review
- Barbot, S., Güvercin, S.E., Zhang, L., Zhang, H. & Yang, Z., Thermobaric control of fault friction, Geophy. Res. Let., 52, e2024GL112959, doi: 10.1029/2024GL112959
- Zhang, H., Vidale, J.E. & Wang, W., 2025. Aftershocks on the planar rupture surface of the deep-focus Mw 7.9 Bonin Islands earthquake, The Seismic Record, 5(1):35-43, doi: 10.1785/0320240035
- Zhang, H., Vidale, J.E. & Wang, W., 2024. Scattering evidence for an ancient subducted slab using the novel raypath P*PKP, Geophy. Res. Let., 51, e2024GL110130, doi: 10.1029/2024GL110130
- Zhang, H. & Ben-Zion, Y., 2024. Enhancing regional seismic velocity model with higher-resolution local results using sparse dictionary learning, JGR: Solid Earth, 129, e2023JB027016, doi: 10.1029/2023JB027016
- Zhang, H., Meng, H. & Ben-Zion, Y., 2023. Lateral Variations Across the Southern San Andreas Fault Zone Revealed from Analysis of Traffic Signals at a Dense Seismic Array, Geophy. Res. Let., 50, e2023GL103759, doi: 10.1029/2023GL103759
- Wang, L., Zhou, Y., Zhou, S. & Zhang, H., 2023. Detection of Fault Zone Head Waves and the Fault Interface Imaging in the Xianshuihe-Anninghe Fault Zone (Eastern Tibetan Plateau), Geophy. J. Int., 234(2), 1157-1167, doi: 10.1093/gji/ggad131
- Zhang, H. & Jordan, T.H., Searching for slow precursors to megathrust earthquakes, in prep.
- Wu, B., Li, B., Zhang, H., Huang, S., Li, G. & Gabriel, A.-A., Near‑fault Strong‑motion of the 2023 Mw7.8 Kahramanmaraş Earthquake: Insights into High‑frequency Radiation Mechanisms, submitted
- Zhang, H., Barbot, S., Yang, Z., Zhang, L., Liu, M. & Platt, J., Large megathrust earthquakes in cold mantle wedge corners under lawsonite blueschist facies, under review
- Zhang, H. & Vidale, J.E., Earthquake high-frequency energy radiation scales with rupture complexity, under review
- Barbot, S., Güvercin, S.E., Zhang, L., Zhang, H. & Yang, Z., Thermobaric control of fault friction, Geophy. Res. Let., 52, e2024GL112959, doi: 10.1029/2024GL112959
- Zhang, H., Vidale, J.E. & Wang, W., 2025. Aftershocks on the planar rupture surface of the deep-focus Mw 7.9 Bonin Islands earthquake, The Seismic Record, 5(1):35-43, doi: 10.1785/0320240035
- Zhang, S., Houston, H., Wang, B. & Zhang, H., Mapping of absolute stresses around two California earthquakes reveals a very weak crust, under review
- Zhang, H., Vidale, J.E. & Wang, W., 2024. Scattering evidence for an ancient subducted slab using the novel raypath P*PKP, Geophy. Res. Let., 51, e2024GL110130, doi: 10.1029/2024GL110130
- Zhang, H. & Ben-Zion, Y., 2024. Enhancing regional seismic velocity model with higher-resolution local results using sparse dictionary learning, JGR: Solid Earth, 129, e2023JB027016, doi: 10.1029/2023JB027016
- Zhang, H., Meng, H. & Ben-Zion, Y., 2023. Lateral Variations Across the Southern San Andreas Fault Zone Revealed from Analysis of Traffic Signals at a Dense Seismic Array, Geophy. Res. Let., 50, e2023GL103759, doi: 10.1029/2023GL103759
- Wang, L., Zhou, Y., Zhou, S. & Zhang, H., 2023. Detection of Fault Zone Head Waves and the Fault Interface Imaging in the Xianshuihe-Anninghe Fault Zone (Eastern Tibetan Plateau), Geophy. J. Int., 234(2), 1157-1167, doi: 10.1093/gji/ggad131
- Zhang, H., Barbot, S., Yang, Z., Zhang, L., Liu, M. & Platt, J., Large megathrust earthquakes in cold mantle wedge corners under lawsonite blueschist facies, under review
- Barbot, S., Güvercin, S.E., Zhang, L., Zhang, H. & Yang, Z., Thermobaric control of fault friction, Geophy. Res. Let., 52, e2024GL112959, doi: 10.1029/2024GL112959
Contact
Email:
Call:
+1 (213) 255-6653
Location:
Room 158, 3651 Trousdale Pkwy., Los Angeles, CA 90089
Room 266, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91125
Last Update: March 2025