Dr. Tushar Mittal

Biography

Tushar Mittal is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geosciences at Penn State University. His research focuses on Solid Earth processes and their primary controls on the evolution of planetary atmospheres, ecosystems, and habitability. He studies geophysical processes that influence the ocean-atmosphere system across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. These scales range from less than one year, such as large volcanic eruptions, to millions of years, like flood basalt eruptions, and hundreds to thousands of millions of years regarding changes in plate tectonics and geochemical exchange between the Earth's surface and interior. He follows a holistic research approach, integrating various observations of interconnected processes generally studied in isolation, to grasp the overall goal of understanding how environments and ecosystems on Earth and other planetary bodies evolve over time. His primary research topics include volcanic science, planetary geophysics, especially in regards to planet formation, and cross-disciplinary work on volcano/tectonic-climate interactions.

Research Interests