Scott Burdick

Scott Burdick is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Geology at Wayne State University, affiliated with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. His research focuses on seismic imaging of the Earth's crust and mantle, Bayesian inference, and geophysical inverse problems. He holds a B.S. from Purdue University (2006) and a Ph.D. from MIT (2014).

Dr. Burdick’s work emphasizes quantifying uncertainties in geophysical models to refine interpretations of tectonic and mantle dynamics. Recent projects include probabilistic tomography of slab structures beneath Alaska and mantle transition zone heterogeneity. He also applies inverse theory to mass spectrometry and glacial aquifer imaging, showcasing interdisciplinary collaboration.

He teaches courses such as Geology: The Science of the Earth and Environmental and Applied Geophysics. His research has been supported by grants including the NSF CAREER award for probabilistic mantle structure analysis.

Notable contributions include developing the CAP22 P-wave tomographic model for North America and advancing software like Tripoli for mass spectrometry accuracy. His work bridges field observations, laboratory experiments, and computational modeling to address complex Earth science questions.