Dr. Mark Simons

Biography

Mark Simons is the John W. and Herberta M. Miles Professor of Geophysics at the California Institute of Technology and the Director of the Brinson Exploration Hub. He holds a B.S. degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, received in 1989, and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, conferred in 1995. He began his academic career as an Assistant Professor at Caltech in 1997 and progressed through the ranks to Professor status in 2007. Simons has served as the Chief Scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory from 2017 to 2023, assuming the role of Director in 2024. His research primarily focuses on observational theoretical geodynamics including earthquake cycle processes, volcanic activity, crustal deformation, and mantle convection. He employs advanced techniques such as satellite-based InSAR and GPS for studying geophysical phenomena. Simons has particular research interests in the geodynamics of tectonic plate interactions and magma dynamics beneath active volcanoes, with fieldwork concentrated in regions such as the central Andes, Iceland, Japan, Taiwan, Tibet, and the western United States.

Research Interests

Experience