Zhe Jia

Zhe Jia is a Research Assistant Professor at the Institute for Geophysics, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin. He holds a PhD from the California Institute of Technology (2016-2022) and prior degrees from the University of Science and Technology of China (BS 2009-2013, MS 2013-2016). His research focuses on earthquake mechanisms and hazards, using multi-geophysical data and modeling to study rupture dynamics across diverse tectonic settings, from shallow continental faults to subduction zones. Key interests include fault geometry effects, stress interactions, and fluid dynamics in controlling earthquake behavior.

He employs advanced techniques such as moment tensor inversions, numerical modeling, and machine learning to analyze seismic and geodetic data. Notable contributions include discoveries of multi-fault rupture complexity in events like the 2019 Ridgecrest sequence and the 2023 Kahramanmaraş doublet. His work emphasizes integrating observations with structural models to improve seismic hazard assessments and tsunami prediction.

Zhe’s research has been featured in high-impact journals like Science and Geophysical Research Letters. He actively mentors students and collaborates internationally. His professional service includes roles as a NSF proposal reviewer and session convener at AGU meetings. Teaching roles include lecturing in seismology and earthquake geodesy at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the California Institute of Technology.

Field experiments include nodal seismometer deployments in the Los Angeles Basin and active-source studies on the San Andreas Fault. His lab focuses on developing novel inversion tools (e.g., gCAPjoint software) and applying machine learning to seismic tomography.