Sarah E. Kruse

Sarah E. Kruse is a Professor in the School of Geosciences at the University of South Florida (USF), affiliated with the College of Arts and Sciences. She holds a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1989) and a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1984). Her research focuses on near-surface geophysics, particularly in urban environments, forensic science, and planetary science applications. She leads or co-leads major research projects funded by the National Science Foundation, NASA, and other agencies.

Key projects include sinkhole activity detection in Florida, development of geophysics educational tools (SIGKit), and lava tube exploration via GPR and LiDAR. Kruse has served as Graduate Director (2013–2015), chairs committees in the School of Geosciences, and actively participates in professional networks like the American Geophysical Union. Her honors include the NSF Young Investigator Award (1992–1996) and a Fulbright Scholarship (2011).

Her work bridges academic research with practical applications, such as environmental monitoring and planetary exploration. She contributes to interdisciplinary collaborations and mentors students in geophysics through USF's Geology Field School and related initiatives.