research

The Geology faculty at UC Davis seeks to understand and unravel the history of planet Earth through a highly integrative approach. The geology research program represents an array of strengths including in stratigraphy, structure, tectonics, petrology, and geomorphology, linked by the common threads of geologic processes in space and time that have shaped the modern Earth.

The Geobiology and Paleobiology faculty study diverse aspects of the history of life, including invertebrate and vertebrate paleontology, functional morphology,  geomicrobiology, evolutionary biology, phylogenetic inference, metagenomics and transcriptomics, paleoecology, paleobiogeography, paleoclimatology, and biogeochemistry. We focus on investigating patterns and processes in the evolution of life as well as testing hypotheses about the interactions among organisms, ecosystems, and environments both today and over geological time.

Geophysics faculty at UC Davis study the physics of geologic processes that shape our planet, from the inner core to outer space, and use physical measurements and models to characterize the structure of Earth and other planets. The Geophysics group at UC Davis is involved in a wide range of research areas including geodynamics, planetary geophysics, volcanic processes, earthquake physics, geodesy, natural hazards, and tectonics.

Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry research in the Earth and Planetary Sciences department at UC Davis has advanced the frontiers for a range of important problems including planet formation, magma storage conditions, paleoclimates from Archean to recent, and modern environmental change.

The program in Planetary Science focuses on the origin and evolution of planets with an emphasis on understanding the formation of Earth-like planets in our solar system and in extra-solar systems. The planetary group combines expertise in geochemical studies of extraterrestrial materials, measurements of the physical properties of planetary materials, experiments and modeling of major geophysical processes, and characterizing planetary environments to understand the origin of life on Earth and to search for life on other planets.