Nadia Lapusta

Nadia Lapusta is the Lawrence A. Hanson, Jr., Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Geophysics at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), and serves as Graduate Option Representative for Applied Mechanics, Civil Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering within the Division of Engineering and Applied Science. Her research focuses on computational mechanics of geomaterials, earthquake source processes, frictional and fracture dynamics, and interactions between fluid flow and faulting. She investigates phenomena such as induced seismicity, fault stability, and the physics of earthquakes through advanced numerical modeling and experimental analysis.

Her work bridges laboratory experiments and large-scale geophysical observations, emphasizing how fluid-rock interactions influence fault behavior. Notable contributions include studies on supershear rupture dynamics, slow slip events, and the role of pore pressure in fault weakening. Lapusta has been recognized with prestigious awards including AGU Fellowship and the GSC Mentoring Award.

• Education: Details not explicitly provided in texts, but her academic roles suggest advanced degrees in engineering and geophysics.
• Research Group: Leads a multidisciplinary team including PhD students (e.g., Taeho Kim, Stacy Larochelle) and postdocs (e.g., Luca Dal Zilio, Elias Heimisson), with former members contributing to fields like fault dynamics and seismology.
• Lab Activities: Focuses on computational geomechanics, dynamic rupture simulations, and fluid-fault interaction modeling.

Current and former students and collaborators have advanced understanding of fault mechanics, seismic hazard modeling, and geophysical fluid dynamics. Lapusta’s work often involves collaborative code verification projects (e.g., the SEAS initiative) to improve simulations of earthquake sequences and aseismic slip.