Dr. Richard Katz

Biography

Richard Katz is a Professor of Geodynamics at St Anne's College, University of Oxford. His research focuses on understanding the physics of liquid–solid systems within terrestrial and planetary settings. This involves making quantitative predictions about system behaviour that are consistent with available measurements and potential future observations. Katz leads a research group that employs applied mathematics, formulating and analyzing theoretical models, developing numerical simulations, and conducting scaling analyses in collaboration with observationalists and experimentalists. His current research areas include the physics of natural granular media, the mechanics of partially molten rocks, and the dynamics of tidally driven flows in planetary bodies. He also investigates fluid-driven fractures, population dynamics of dislocations in crystals, and the mechanics of natural hydrogen harvesting. He authored a textbook on the dynamics of partially molten rock published by Princeton University Press in 2022, focusing on the fundamental physical insights gained from these analyses. Katz teaches undergraduate courses in Earth Sciences, covering topics like vector calculus, continuum mechanics, and the physics of the solid Earth.

Research Interests