Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

AGU embraces the global community and welcomes diverse leaders from around the world, representing various identities, voices, and perspectives. List any identities, voices, and perspectives you would bring, including but not limited to nationality, regional representations, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and any other identity you feel comfortable sharing.

AGU and the Seismology section must be able to serve a diverse group of scientists with various identities and perspectives, and we all bring a unique perspective to our scientific and community work based on our identities and experiences. My own background and experiences have led me to a particularly keen understanding of the challenges faced by women scientists and by scientists who must deal with mental health challenges or chronic illnesses. I feel strongly, however, that while our own identities and experiences are critically important, we all have a responsibility to work to represent and uplift those whose experiences have been different than our own. It is particularly crucial for us all to educate ourselves about the barriers faced by individuals and groups that are not offered the same opportunities as more privileged scientists, and to act as allies and accomplices for those who have been marginalized.

Volunteer experience that relates to this position:

Member, AGU College of Fellows New Frontiers Committee (2019-present); Member, AGU Study of the Earth’s Deep Interior (SEDI) Section Honors Canvassing Committee (2020-2022); Member (2017-2019) and Chair (2020-2021), AGU Hess Medal Committee; Member (2019-2020) and Chair (2021), AGU Seismology Section Honors Canvassing Committee; Chair, AGU Seismology Section Officers Nominations Committee (2018); Member (2016) and Chair (2017), AGU Seismology Section Gutenberg Lecture Selection Committee.

This leadership position is a liaison role; it is one that aims to catalyze community and build AGU as envisioned by the strategic plan. How will you engage with members of your section to advance AGU’s strategic plan? How will you facilitate engagement with other sections and people outside AGU to support our mission?

AGU plays a key role in fostering the values of our scientific community and in enabling us all, as members of the AGU community, to do our best work and to enable the best work of our colleagues. The AGU strategic plan articulates a set of values, including excellence, integrity, respect, diversity, collaboration, and education and outreach, that to me encapsulates the best of what our Seismology section community can be. While there have certainly been times when our community has failed to live up to these values, in my mind the most important role that the Seismology section leadership can play is to help build and catalyze activities, structures, and cultural norms that fulfill these aspirations. As a member of the AGU Seismology section, I have long felt fortunate to be part of a scientific community that encourages early career scientists, fosters collaboration and cooperation, and increasingly values diversity. My goal as section president would be to foster and enable that spirit of openness, cooperation, and support that I have benefited so much from, particularly early in my career. I would bring to this work my perspective as a longtime Seismology section member, but this perspective is also informed by my work with other allied sections (particularly the Study of the Earth’s Deep Interior section) and with Union-level committees and activities.

Section affiliations:

Mineral and Rock Physics; Nonlinear Geophysics; Seismology; Study of the Earth's Deep Interior; Tectonophysics