Dr. Sanne Cottaar

Professor

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Biography

Sanne Cottaar is a Professor in Global Seismology at the University of Cambridge. Her research focuses on the structure and dynamics of the deep Earth, particularly through the analysis of seismic waves from strong earthquakes recorded globally. Key interests include constraining anomalous structures at the core-mantle boundary and understanding the historical dynamics of the Earth. Cottaar is currently funded by an ERC Starting Grant (ZoomDeep, 2019-2024), which aims to map seismic discontinuities to infer temperature heterogeneity in the mantle transition zone and study its role in global dynamics. She also investigates seismic anisotropy caused by flow in the lowermost mantle and contributes to open-source toolkits that combine insights from various disciplines. Cottaar actively supervises PhD students in global seismology, particularly those interested in NERC funded scholarships. Her extensive academic background includes roles as an Assistant Professor and Research Associate at Cambridge, along with a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MSc from Utrecht University. Cottaar's work has received significant recognition, thanks to her contributions to the field of global seismology.

Research Interests

Experience

Professor

2020-01-01 — Present

University of Cambridge • Cambridge, UK

Professor in Global Seismology

Associate Professor

2015-01-01 — 2020-01-01

University of Cambridge • Cambridge, UK

Associate Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences

Assistant Professor

2015-01-01 — 2020-01-01

University of Cambridge • Cambridge, UK

Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences

Research Associate

2013-01-01 — 2015-01-01

University of Cambridge • Cambridge, UK

Research Associate in the Department of Earth Sciences

Drapers' Company Research Fellow

2013-01-01 — 2015-01-01

Pembroke College, Cambridge • Cambridge, UK

Research Fellow focusing on global seismology.

Requirements for University of Cambridge

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.7
IELTS
Listening
Required:7
Reading
Required:7
Writing
Required:7
Speaking
Required:7
Overall
Required:7.5
TOEFL
Listening
Required:25
Reading
Required:25
Writing
Required:25
Speaking
Required:25
Total
Required:110
Prerequisites
UK Bachelor's Degree with good Upper Second Class Honours or international equivalent Background in international relations, politics, law, economics, security or history is a definite asset
Application Checklist
  • Two academic references
  • Official transcripts
  • CV/Resume
  • Personal statement (approx 500 words)
  • Research proposal (1-2 pages/500 words)
  • Application fee (£50)
Specialization Notes

Standard postgraduate requirements for Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) and related humanities departments.