Near-Surface Geophysics

Welcome to my website! I am a first-year graduate student in the Geology department at the University of Maryland supervised by Dr. Mong-Han Huang. My current research interests are computational methods in geophysics and groundwater hydrology, especially using methods to come up with solutions related to geotechnical engineering problems because these subjects resonate with what I largely have been a part of. 

Currently, I am learning how minimally invasive geophysical techniques yield subsurface images of physical characteristics like seismic velocity and electrical resistance. However, these properties are only indirectly related to geological and engineering attributes, such as lithology, porosity, and permeability. By leveraging the complementary information from diverse geophysical data types, joint inversion can assist in characterizing the desired geological features. It also aids in the creation of rock physics models for quantitative analysis and enhanced interpretation. 

Specifically, joint inversion can:

• Enhance the precision of models and decrease the lack of uniqueness in the inverse problem.

• Generate geophysical models that align with multiple data sources, leading to improved interpretation and classification.

• Facilitate the establishment of petrophysical relationships between geophysical parameters and geological properties like porosity or permeability.

• Simplify the identification of modeling and geometric errors by comparing models obtained through individual and joint inversions.

• Enable hypothesis testing regarding geologic structure, processes, and petrophysical relationships.