Rachel E. Abercrombie

Rachel E. Abercrombie is a Research Professor at Boston University, affiliated with the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences. Her work centers on earthquake rupture processes, including scaling, nucleation, attenuation, and site effects across diverse tectonic environments such as subduction zones and the San Andreas System. She has held significant roles, including serving as President of the American Geophysical Union’s (AGU) Seismology division starting January 2023. In 2020, she was honored as an AGU Fellow for her exceptional contributions to seismology.

Education:

• Ph.D., University of Reading, 1991
• B.A., Trinity Hall, Cambridge University, 1987

Research Interests:

Her research explores the initiation, growth, and controlling factors of seismic slip, with a focus on earthquake scaling and nucleation. She studies earthquake behavior in varied settings—from oceanic environments to deep earthquakes—and emphasizes understanding human vulnerabilities through analyses of construction practices and building code enforcement, as highlighted in her commentary on the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake.

Grants and Advising:

Rachel advises PhD student Emily Schottenfels, with whom she co-authored presentations at the 2018 Fall AGU Meeting. She collaborates extensively with peers and students, such as Christine Regalla, across multiple research initiatives. While specific grants are not detailed, her leadership roles and fellowship reflect sustained academic engagement.

Labs and Teams:

She actively participates in collaborative research networks, including contributions to the Fall AGU Meetings, where she and her team presented over 10 co-authored works in 2018. These collaborations underscore her role in advancing geophysical research within her department and the broader scientific community.