Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Earth Sciences

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
77 Massachusetts Avenue, Room 54-522
Cambridge, MA 01239
U.S.A.

Tel: 617-253-6977
Fax: 617-258-9697
Email: hilst@mit.edu
URL: http://quake.mit.edu/hilstgroup/robspage

RESEARCH INTEREST

Main fields:

Global Seismology and Mantle Dynamics

Current research:

- Seismic imaging of Earth's deep interior structure.
- Geodynamics of convergent plate boundaries and the mode of mantle convection.
- Waveform analyses; isotropic and anisotropic structure of continental lithosphere and
upper mantle of the Australasian region, SE Asia, and North America (USArray/Earthscope);
Body wave scattering in Earth's lower mantle.
- Continental evolution.

EMPLOYMENT

2003- Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Earth Sciences EAPS-MIT.
2000-2003 Professor of Geophysics EAPS-MIT.
2001- Visiting Professor of Geophysics Utrecht University, Department of Earth Sciences (seismology), The Netherlands
1998- Visiting Professor Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP) (Equipe: Sismologie Globale), France.
1998-2000 Associate Professor (tenured since 1999) EAPS-MIT.
1996-1998 Assistant Professor EAPS-MIT.
1996-1998 Adjunct Fellow Australian National University (ANU), Research School of Earth Sciences, Australia.
1992-1995 Research Fellow RSES-ANU.
1990-1992 Postdoctoral Research Fellow The University of Leeds, (Earth Sciences), United Kingdom
1986-1990 Graduate Research Assistant Utrecht University, Department of Theoretical Geophysics
1983-1984 Lecturer, Geophysics and Structural Geology University of Botswana, Botswana

EDUCATION

1990 Ph.D., Utrecht University (Graduate Advisors: Prof. Dr. N. J. Vlaar and Dr. W. Spakman.)
1986 Doctoraal examen (MSc.) Geophysics (Cum Laude), Utrecht University.
1986 Doctoraal examen (MSc.) Structural Geology (Cum Laude), Utrecht University.
1982 Kandidaatsexamen (BSc.) Geology with Mathematics and Physics, Utrecht University.

HONORS AND AWARDS

2003- Cecil and Ida Green Chair MIT
2003-2008 VICI Innovative Research Award Dutch National Science Foundation (NWO)
1998-2003 Packard Fellow David and Lucile Packard Foundation (Fellows)
1998 Crafoord Symposium Lecture Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
1997-2000 Kerr-McGee Career Development Chair MIT
1997 Fellow American Geophysical Union (List of Fellows)
1997 James B. Macelwane Medal American Geophysical Union (citation)
1996 Doornbos Memorial Prize International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth's Interior

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Miscellaneous

1992-1995 Designer and Project Manager Skippy: a multi-year broad-band seismometry project in Australia.
2006-2008 President-elect, Seismology Section of the American Geophysical Union

Organizational (MIT)

2003- Chair, Program in Geophysics (MIT-EAPS).
2004- Director Earth Resources Laboratory (MIT-EAPS).
1999-2003 Associate Director Earth Resources Laboratory (MIT-EAPS).
2003-2004 Member, Undergraduate Committee (MIT-EAPS).
2000-2001 Member, Committee on Curricula (MIT).
1998-2001 Chair, Geophysics Graduate Admission Committee (MIT-EAPS).

Advisory Boards and Program Committees

2004-2005 AGU 2005 Joint Assembly Chair.
2002- Institute of Earth Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei Advisory Committee.
2002- National Institute for Environmental eScience, Cambridge, U.K. Advisory Committee.
2000-2001 IAGA and IASPEI Join Scientific Assembly 2001 Program Committee.
2000-2003 IRIS Executive Committee.
1999-2002 USArray (Earthscope) Steering Committee.
1998-2000 IRIS Data Management Center Standing Committee (DMS-SC).
1998-2000 AGU Spring Meeting Program Committee for Seismology.
1997 Program Committee International Symposium on Continental Roots (MIT-Harvard, Fall 1997).
1995-1996 AGU Western Pacific Geophysics Meeting Program Committee.
1994-1996 Chairman, Specialist Group on Solid Earth Geophysics (Geological Society of Australia).

Editorial

2003- Editor EPSL: Earth and Planetary Science Letters (Elsevier).
2003- Editor GJI: Geophysical Journal International (Blackwell Scientific Publisher).
2002- Editorial Board Geology (Geological Society of America).
2001- Editorial Board PEPI: Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors (Elsevier).
2000-2003 Editorial Board EPSL: Earth and Planetary Science Letters (Elsevier).
1998-2003 Associate Editor JGR: Journal of Geophysical Research (AGU).
1999-2000 Associate Editor G3: Geochemistry, Geophysics, and Geosystems (Electronic journal, AGU).
2003-2005 Co-Editor Structure, Composition, and Evolution of Earth's Deep Mantle (Geophysical Monograph 160, AGU).
1999-2001 Co-Editor Processes and Consequences of Deep Subduction (Elsevier; also available as Special Issue of PEPI).
1998-1999 Co-Editor Structure, Composition, and Evolution of Continental Lithosphere (Developments in Geotectonics 24, Elsevier; also available as Special Issue of Lithos).
1998-1999 Co-Editor The History and Dynamics of Global Plate Motion (Geophysical Monograph 121, AGU).
1996-1997 Co-Editor Structure and Evolution of the Australian Continent (Geodynamics Series 26, AGU).
1990- Referee for Nature, Science, Geology, Journal of Geophysical Research, Geophysical Research Letters, Geophysical Journal International, Earth and Planetary Science letters, Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, Tectonophysics, The Australian Journal for Earth Sciences, and for research proposals of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), the Australian Research Council (ARC), and the National Environmental Research Council (NERC).

MEMBERSHIP PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES

American Geophysical Union (1987-).
European Geophysical Society( 1990-).
Seismological Society of America (1998-).
Society of Exploration Geophysics (2004-).

POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS

Dr. John Castle (02/1999-10/2000)
Dr. Sebastien Chevrot (11/1998-10/2000)
Dr. Sergei Lebedev (05/2000-present; now at Utrecht University, The Netherlands)
Dr. Caroline Beghein (01/2004-12/2005)

GRADUATE STUDENTS

At ANU:
Dr. Sri Widiyantoro (co-supervisor Prof. B.L.N. Kennett; PhD. June 1997 - now Professor and Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Earth Sciences and Mineral Technology, Bandung Institute of Technology, Indonesia).
At Utrecht University:
Dr. Caroline Beghein (PhD. Oct 2003 - now at MIT; supervisor Dr. Trampert).
Dr. Dirk Kraaijpoel (PhD. Oct 2003; co-supervisors Prof. Snieder, Dr. Roy-Chowdhurry).
Dr. Peter van Thienen (PhD. Nov 2003 - now at IGPG; co-supervisors Prof. Vlaar, Dr. van den Berg).
Mr. Joost van Summeren (co-supervisor: Dr. van den Berg).
Mr. Stefan Carpentier (co-supervisor: Dr. Roy-Chowdhurry).
At MIT:
Dr. Rebecca Saltzer (PhD. 2001; now at: ExxonMobil).
Dr. Frederik Simons (PhD. 2002; now Associate Professor, Princeton University, NJ, USA).
Dr. Hrafnkell Kárason (PhD. 2002; co-Supervisor Prof. Hager).
Dr. Maureen Long (PhD. 2006; now Postdoctoral Fellow at DTM, Carnegie Institution of Washington).
Mr. Hugh Cox (MSc. Jul. 2002).
Ms. Rosalee Lamm (MSc., July 2006).
Mr. Li Chang (2001-; formerly at Peking University, Beijing).
Mr. Ping Wang (2001-; formerly at Peking University, Beijing).
Mr. Yao Huajiang (2004-; formerly at University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei).
Mr. Scott Burdick (2006-; formerly at Purdue University, West-Lafayette, IN, USA).
Ms. Cao Qin (2006-; formerly at Peking University, Beijing).

UNDERGRADUATE SUPERVISION

Geoff Clitheroe (ANU), Heather Hooper (MIT)