Anne Sheehan

Anne Sheehan is Professor of Geological Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder and a Fellow of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES). Her research integrates seismology, geodesy and electromagnetics to investigate earthquake sources, subduction-zone dynamics, tsunami generation and human-induced seismicity.

Education

• Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1991
• B.S., University of Kansas, 1984

Research Interests

Sheehan’s group pursues field and computational studies of earthquake seismology, tsunami processes, active tectonics and geophysical imaging. Major themes include:

• Deep structure and tectonics of mountain belts (Rockies, Himalaya, Southern Alps)
• Subduction-zone seismicity, slow-slip events and tsunami hazards
• Induced seismicity linked to wastewater injection in Colorado
• Novel seafloor instrumentation (ocean-bottom seismometers, pressure gauges) and satellite-based tsunami detection from ships
• Advanced computational techniques such as data assimilation, interferometry and machine-learning phase detection

Scientific Awards

• Erasmus Haworth Distinguished Alumni Award, University of Kansas (2009)
• EarthScope Distinguished Lecturer (2013)
• College Scholar Award, University of Colorado (2014)
• New Zealand Geophysics Prize (2016, 2019)
• President, Seismology Section, American Geophysical Union (2020)

Leadership, Grants & Teams

Sheehan is Principal Investigator on major NSF experiments such as the Alaska Amphibious Community Seismic Experiment (AACSE) and the Hikurangi Ocean Bottom Investigation of Tremor and Slow Slip (HOBITSS). She collaborates closely with the hydrogeology group of Prof. Shemin Ge and geodesist Prof. Kristy Tiampo, and mentors graduate students and post-docs in the Sheehan Geophysics Group. The group maintains real-time seismic data access for Colorado at earthquake.colorado.edu and hosts weekly seminars and reading groups.