Scott King

Scott King is a Professor of Geophysics at Virginia Tech's Department of Geosciences within the College of Science. His research focuses on planetary interiors, mantle convection, and tectonic processes, with emphasis on Mars, Venus, Mercury, and Ceres. He has contributed to NASA's InSight mission and the Dawn mission to Ceres. Key roles include advancing numerical methods for geodynamic modeling and studying mantle dynamics through seismic and computational approaches.

Education: PhD in Geophysics from Caltech (1990), and dual B.A. degrees in Geophysical Sciences and Applied Mathematics from the University of Chicago (1985).

Research Interests: King explores plate tectonics, planetary thermal evolution, and mantle flow using numerical simulations. His work includes analyzing seismic data from Mars (via InSight), Venusian coronae formation, and Mercury's thermal evolution. He also develops computational tools for 3D convection modeling.

Recent Article Themes: Articles focus on Mars' core-mantle boundary, mantle plumes on Venus, and Earth's North American plate dynamics. Methodological advancements include comparing convection codes (ASPECT vs. CitcomS) and optimizing fault implementation in numerical models.

• Awards:
  • Fellow of the Geological Society of America (2018)
  • Alexander von Humboldt Research Award (2009)
  • University Faculty Scholar, Purdue University (2004–2007)

Advising & Grants: Mentors students studying Venus resurfacing, Mars volcanism, and Mercury's thermal evolution. His computational methods have been supported by grants and fellowships, including Argonne National Laboratory and Scripps Institution collaborations.

Labs/Teams: Research group specializes in planetary geodynamics, with active projects on mantle convection, seismic analysis, and mission-related data interpretation (e.g., InSight).