Rowena Lohman

Rowena Lohman is a Professor of Geophysics and Tectonics in the Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences at Cornell University's College of Engineering. Her research focuses on earthquake physics, inverse theory, satellite remote sensing (particularly Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar or InSAR), finite element modeling, and ground displacements from various human and natural causes. She has conducted fieldwork in diverse locations including Alaska, Antarctica, California, Iran, and Chile.

Dr. Lohman received her education at the California Institute of Technology, earning a B.S. in Geology in 1998 and a Ph.D. in Geophysics in 2004. Her academic career at Cornell University progressed from Assistant Professor (2007-2015), to Associate Professor (2015-2022), and finally to Professor (2022-present). She has also held visiting positions at the University of Bristol as a Benjamin Meaker Visiting Professor in 2016 and 2019.

Her research spans several key areas in geophysics and tectonics:

• Active tectonics and the role of faults and folds in landscape formation and natural hazards
• Earthquake nucleation and growth processes
• Development of tools for satellite-based geodetic imagery and parallel computing methods
• Subsidence in the New Orleans/Mississippi River Delta
• Measuring tree height and biomass volume with InSAR

Dr. Lohman's research output demonstrates a consistent focus on applying InSAR technology to solve geophysical problems across diverse geographical settings. Her work spans earthquake studies in California, Iran, and New Zealand; subsidence monitoring in New Orleans and California; and innovative applications of remote sensing in forestry and volcanic monitoring. She has been actively involved in major NASA missions including NISAR (NASA-ISRO radar mission).

Her scientific achievements have been recognized with numerous awards:

• 2019 Daniel M. Lazar '29 Excellence in Teaching Award, College of Engineering, Cornell
• 2013 American Geophysical Union Geodesy Section Award
• 2011 James and Mary Tien Excellence in Teaching Award, College of Engineering, Cornell
• 2010 NASA New Investigator Program Award
• 1999-2002 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
• 1999 Outstanding Student Paper Award, Geodesy Section

Dr. Lohman has mentored numerous students throughout her career, including current Ph.D. candidates Kelly Devlin (expected 2026) and Olivia Paschall (expected 2027). Her former graduate students include Paula Burgi (Ph.D. 2021), Kyle Murray (Ph.D. 2019), and Chelsea Scott (Ph.D. 2016), among others. She has also supervised numerous undergraduate researchers and postdoctoral scholars including Yusuf Molan (2020-present), Junle Jiang (2018-2020), and Noah Finnegan.

She is actively involved in professional service, currently serving on the NASA Earth Science Advisory Committee (2021-present) and as the NISAR Lead for Soil Moisture (2019-present). She has been a member of the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) Board of Directors since 2018 and has served on various other committees including the UNAVCO Board of Directors and the Alaska Satellite Facility User Working Group.