Alexandra Kushnir

Alexandra Kushnir is an Assistant Professor at EPFL's ENAC School, leading the Rock and Geofluid Physics Laboratory (RPGL). She holds roles in teaching (SGC-ENS) and diversity advocacy (ENAC Diversity Office). Her research focuses on geothermal energy, volcanic systems, and rock-fluid interactions. She holds a PhD from University of Orléans (2016) and degrees from University of British Columbia, with postdoctoral experience at Strasbourg and IPGS.

Research Interests: Geothermal reservoir engineering, magmatic processes, rock permeability evolution, hydrothermal alteration, and volcanic hazard assessment. Key projects include the ITI Geosciences for Energy Transition (2018-2021) and ANR CANTARE (2016-2018).

Publications: Recent work includes studies on submarine rhyolite lavas (2025), Krafla geothermal systems (2024), and Merapi volcano dynamics (2016). Her articles bridge experimental rock physics with field-based volcanic processes, emphasizing permeability evolution and geothermal applications.

Teaching: Courses include Geothermal Resource Development and Rock Mass Characterization, integrating geological fundamentals with engineering applications. Supervises PhD students Andrea Mazzeo and Cindy Mikaelian.

Labs & Teams: Directs RPGL, collaborating on projects like RESiDue (rock-fluid interaction modeling) and Volcanica (open science platform).