Michael S. Zhdanov

Michael S. Zhdanov is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Utah, where he has served since 1993. As Director of the Consortium for Electromagnetic Modeling and Inversion (CEMI) since 1995, he leads industry-sponsored research in non-seismic geophysics. He holds a Ph.D. from Moscow State University and previously held prominent roles at the Moscow Academy of Oil and Gas and the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Research Focus

Dr. Zhdanov pioneered regularized focusing inversion for geological imaging and developed the Gramian-based joint inversion framework for multiphysics data integration. His work bridges geophysics, machine learning (e.g., diffusion models, ResU-Net++), and computational methods to solve inverse problems in mineral exploration, subsurface imaging, and electromagnetic modeling. Key domains include salt dome reconstruction, basin analysis, and airborne EM/IP inversion.

Publication Trends

Recent work (2023–2025) demonstrates a strong emphasis on AI-driven geophysical inversion, with neural networks (ResU-Net++, EfficientNetV2) applied to gravity/magnetic data for salt dome detection, basement relief mapping, and mineral targeting. Over 50% of publications integrate machine learning with traditional inversion theory.

Awards and Honors

• IEEE Senior Member (2024)
• SEG Honorary Membership (2013)
• Gauss Professorship, Gottingen Academy (1990)
• University of Utah Distinguished Scholarly Award (2009)
• Full Member, Russian Academy of Natural Sciences (1991)

Leadership and Funding

As CEMI Director, Zhdanov collaborates with 30+ industry partners (e.g., Shell, ExxonMobil, BHP). Secured grants from NSF, DOE, and industry for projects on 3D EM inversion, mineral exploration, and airborne survey technologies. Actively advises graduate students in inversion theory and EM methods.

Facilities

Leads the CEMI Consortium, developing advanced computational tools for multiphysics data fusion used globally in resource exploration.