Peter M. Shearer

Peter M. Shearer is a Professor of Geophysics at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), University of California, San Diego, where he is affiliated with the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP). He has been a faculty member since 1995, following progressive academic roles at SIO and postdoctoral work at the University of Cambridge.

• B.S. in Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, 1978
• Ph.D. in Geophysics, University of California, San Diego, 1986

Dr. Shearer's research centers on observational seismology, employing large datasets to study earthquake locations, source properties, and Earth's internal structure. His work spans lithospheric and upper-mantle discontinuities, seismic scattering, anisotropic wave propagation, and back-projection techniques for earthquake analysis. He is also the author of the widely used textbook Introduction to Seismology.

His recent research, inferred from ongoing projects and publications, emphasizes high-resolution imaging of earthquake sources and deep Earth structure using advanced seismic array methods and global datasets.

• Fellow, American Geophysical Union (1999)
• SIO Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award (2003)
• AGU Excellence in Refereeing (2003)
• AGU Gutenberg Lecturer (2005)
• Elected to the National Academy of Sciences (2009)
• Lehmann Medal, American Geophysical Union (2020)

Dr. Shearer has made significant contributions to seismological education and research methodology. His career reflects sustained leadership in geophysics through mentorship, textbook authorship, and service to the community via involvement with SCEC, SCEDC, IRIS, USArray, USGS, AGU, and SSA. He has not been mentioned as leading a named lab, but his work is conducted within the research environment of IGPP and SIO.

He is actively involved in the seismology community and continues to advance observational techniques for understanding earthquake processes and Earth structure.