QuakeSim Team
Dennis McLeod is currently Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southern California, and Director of the Semantic Information Research Laboratory. He received his Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. degrees in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from MIT. Dr. McLeod has published widely in the areas of data and knowledge base systems, federated databases, database models and design, ontologies, knowledge discovery, scientific data management, information trust and privacy, and multimedia information management. His current research focuses on: structured domain ontologies; semantic web; database semantic heterogeneity resolution and inter-database correlation; personalized information management and customization; information management environments for Earth, marine, and climate science; the architecture of data centers providing massive storage via virtualization and data clouds; social networking information management and information trust; and service-based information access and delivery frameworks.
Maggi joined the QuakeSim team in February 2004 after completing her master's degree in Geology at UC Davis in December 2003. Her thesis work included use of the GeoFEST code to model the deformation in the Los Angeles Basin. Maggi continues to be involved in modeling the LA Basin and the Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake in addition to assisting with documentation of the GeoFEST code and other QuakeSim related research. Maggi earned her B.S. in Geological Sciences and B.A. in Print Journalism from the University of Southern California in May of 1997. She began working at JPL as an intern during the summer of 1996, became a staff member in the Data Understanding Systems Group in early 2000, and joined the Solid Earth Group in the Earth and Space Sciences Division at JPL in 2004. Maggi is now the Principal Investigator of E-DECIDER (Earthquake Data Enhanced Cyber-Infrastructure for Disaster Evaluation and Response).
Andrea Donnellan is a geophysicist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and a research professor at the University of Southern California. Andrea studies earthquakes and crustal deformation by integrating satellite technology with high performance computer models. She is Principal Investigator of NASA's QuakeSim project, as well as supercomputing, earthquake modeling, and UAVSAR projects. Donnellan has also been Deputy Manager of the JPL's Science Division, Pre-Project Scientist of a mission to study natural hazards, ice sheets, and ecosystems, and NASA's Applied Sciences Program Area Co-Lead for Natural Disasters. She has conducted field studies in California, in Antarctica, on the Altiplano of Bolivia, in Mongolia, and on Variegated Glacier in Alaska. She has been a geophysicist at JPL since 1993. She received a bachelor's degree from the Ohio State University in 1986, with a geology major and mathematics minor. She received her master's and Ph.D. in geophysics from Caltech's Seismological Laboratory in 1988 and 1991 respectively and held a National Research Council postdoctoral fellowship at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Donnellan received an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Southern California in 2003. She was a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award, the MUSES of the California Science Center Woman of the Year Award, three NASA Space Act Awards, the Antarctic Service Medal, and was a finalist in the astronaut selection process three times.
Lisa Grant Ludwig is an Associate Professor in Public Health at the University of California, Irvine and former Associate Director of the California Institute for Hazards Research. She earned a Ph.D. in Geology with Geophysics and dual M.S. degrees in Geology and Environmental Engineering from Caltech, and a B.S. from Stanford in Applied Environmental Earth Sciences. Her research interests include natural hazards, paleoseismology, active faults, seismic hazard, environmental health and geology. Her research group addresses natural hazards and disasters from a geologic perspective, with emphasis on earthquakes. The group focuses on defining the potential for large earthquakes, and working collaboratively on developing forecasts, hazard models and effective responses. Results of the work are applied for disaster preparedness planning, structural design, land-use planning, seismic risk assessment and public education about earthquake hazard.
Rami Al-Ghanmi is a PhD student in the Computer Science Department at the University of Southern California. He received his MS in Computer Science from the USC (2006) and BS in Computer Engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia (2002). He is currently working with Professor Dennis McLeod at the Semantic Information Research Group at USC. His research interests are Semantic Web Services and Ontology-based Federation of scientific data, which he has applied to the fault and InSAR components of the QuakeTables database.
Michael Sachs is a PhD student working in John Rundle's group at the University of California Davis. He studied physics at Columbia University and fine art at Virginia Commonwealth University. His work is focused on building and analyzing computer simulations of complex physical systems. These systems often exhibit unexpected behavior which is the result of highly complex underlying dynamics which are very difficult to understand and predict.
Mark Yoder is currently a graduate student of Physics at UC Davis, working with John Rundle's research team. He received his M.S. degree in Physics from UC Davis and a B.A., also in Physics, from Wesleyan University. Mark also has extensive professional experience in the fields of software development and database engineering. His current research focuses on coalescent processes with respect to natural hazards, most pointedly identifying seismicity patterns that are precursory to large earthquakes.
