Karen M. Fischer

Karen M. Fischer is the Louis and Elizabeth Scherck Distinguished Professor of Geological Sciences at Brown University, specializing in seismology and Earth's interior dynamics. She leads research on the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary, mantle convection, and plate tectonics using seismic data. Fischer earned her B.S. from Yale (1983) and Ph.D. from MIT (1989), followed by a postdoc at Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

Her work involves field-based seismometer experiments and computational modeling to study crustal/mantle structure, including mantle melting and tectonic evolution. Awards include the AGU’s Inge Lehmann Medal and the Harry Fielding Reid Medal. She teaches courses like Earthquake Seismology and interdisciplinary climate change seminars.

Fischer’s grants from the NSF focus on mantle dynamics and seismic imaging. Her lab group collaborates on global projects, such as Alaska’s seismic structure synthesis and Nicaragua’s subduction zone hazards. She advises students and mentors early-career researchers, recognized with Brown’s Karen T. Romer Award for Advising.