January 12, 2015

On January 12, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) named Dr. Steve Hickman as the new director of the Earthquake Science Center, located in Menlo Park, California, succeeding Dr. Thomas Brocher, who has led the center for the past six years. Dr. Hickman has decades of experience as a research geophysicist for USGS; some of his major projects include co-heading the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth and advising the Department of Energy on its response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He earned a bachelor’s degree in geology from Earlham College and PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, focusing on solid-earth geophysics. Dr. Hickman stated that his priorities as director will include analyzing natural and human-induced earthquakes from both research and hazard mitigation perspectives.

Sources: E&E News, U.S. Geological Survey

Updated 2/11/15