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Claire Richardson

PhD Candidate | NSF Graduate Fellow

Welcome!

I'm a PhD candidate at the School of Earth and Space Exploration (SESE) at Arizona State University, where I use seismology to study the interior of the Earth. My scientific interests span from imaging 3D multi-scale structure in the deep mantle to understanding the underlying causes of subduction zone processes. As part of a community whose ultimate pursuit is to understand the planet that sustains us all, I believe that our science is best advanced when everyone can participate. I care deeply about fostering a scientific community in SESE and in the broader geosciences that is diverse, inclusive, equitable, accessible, humbly curious, and full of wonder.

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My case for looking down

In following our natural curiosities, humans have advanced science into the reaches of the universe. Among many other extraterrestrial feats, we have visited the Moon (and we're going back!), placed probes in the subsurface of Mars, and discovered metallic worlds.

 

Yet, despite highly sophisticated instrumentation and, in some cases, truly massive amounts of data, inaccessible places here on Earth like the ocean floors and the deep interior remain mysterious. For example, much of the ocean floor, and thus much of Earth's surface, is still unexplored, and images from seismology reveal two continent-sized anomalies sitting on top of the the boundary between the core and the mantle. Where we all live, in Earth's precious critical zone, knowledge of our complex ecosystems and how to sustain them is paramount for our own survival. When we direct our curiosity to what's beneath our own feet, we find a richness of open questions whose answers inch us closer to understanding our own little blue marble.

Arizona contains 22 Native American tribal nations. The School of Earth and Space Exploration at ASU is located on the ancestral homelands of the Akimel O'odham (Pima) and Pee Posh (Maricopa) peoples.

clairerichardson@asu.edu

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website last updated December 2024

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