UT Jackson School of Geosciences

09/01/2026

Meet Taiyi Wang, the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences' newest faculty member!

Wang joins the Jackson School as an assistant professor. He is a geophysicist who studies the mechanics of earthquakes and volcanos — which would traditionally be considered separate disciplines. Wang combines them in his study of the fractures under the Earth’s surface and the fluids — such as magma or water — that flow through them.

“In the most fundamental way, whenever there’s a large amount of fluid moving around in the crust, it creates stress, and stress can lead to small earthquakes. These small earthquakes are important for understanding what volcanos are doing,” Wang said.

Learn more about Wang here: https://www.jsg.utexas.edu/news/2026/08/geophysicist-taiyi-wang-joins-department-of-earth-and-planetary-sciences/

08/31/2026

Our first DeFord Lecture of the fall semester is here! It's a special one, led by our very own Geeta Persad, assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences.

Persad uses global climate modeling to study how climatic change is most likely to stress human systems, and how better understanding of these climate stresses in decision-making contexts can improve societal outcomes.

Don't miss it! And make sure to swing by Boyd Auditorium a little early for coffee and cookies before the lecture.

08/28/2026

Talk about ! We're taking it back over 100 million years ago. 🦖🌿🦣 What prehistoric animals were once in our neighborhood? Click each picture to learn more 👇

*Prehistoric animals in these images are not true to scale.

08/26/2026

“As a proud Longhorn, I am motivated by research that reflects UT’s spirit of service and innovation and that can produce tools useful to communities in Texas and across the United States,” Koutian Wu, a third-year Ph.D. student in Earth and planetary sciences, said. “My long-term goal is to help make Earth system modeling more accurate and accessible while keeping scientific experts in the loop.”

Wu studies land-surface modeling, bringing together Earth system science, artificial intelligence tools and high-performance computing to improve climate prediction and better understand ecosystem challenges such as drought.

“The Jackson School’s interdisciplinary environment and UT’s strengths in AI have given me opportunities to learn across geoscience and computing,” Wu said. “I have especially valued being able to learn from researchers with different backgrounds while also contributing through teaching, science communication and applied projects.”

Beyond his Ph.D. research, Wu has served as a teaching assistant for more than 1,000 undergraduate students in the Earth in 2100 course and worked as an editor for Science Y’all!, the UT Jackson School of Geosciences student science communication platform. He also built UT01, a free online hub for UT Austin resources that has received more than 34,000 visits.

“These experiences have taught me a great deal about communicating science and contributing to a university community,” Wu said. “I hope to continue learning from the people around me and finding ways for my work to be useful to others.”

08/26/2026

08/24/2026

They’ve Gone to Geosciences, they’ve Gone to Texas, and now they’ve officially gone to their first day of classes!

Happy first day back to all of our students — whether it’s your first year or your last — faculty, researchers, and staff at the Jackson School. It’s going to be a great semester!

08/20/2026

Congratulations to postdoctoral fellow Qing Ji, whose research on using earthquake sensors to study hurricanes was published in Science this month.

Read more here:

A new way to measure hurricanes using earthquake-monitoring equipment could improve storm forecasting, support public safety, and enhance understanding of Earth’s atmosphere.

08/19/2026

This week, Professor David Mohrig retired from the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, capping off a 20-year career as a lauded and beloved scholar, educator, mentor and administrator at The University of Texas at Austin.

A renowned sedimentologist known for experiments and field research alike, Mohrig said that teaching fueled his career. He taught hundreds of students, mentored dozens as a graduate advisor, and served as the associate dean for research for five years, ensuring that science continued at the Jackson School even through the pandemic.

Learn more about his career and influence at the Jackson School here: https://www.jsg.utexas.edu/news/2026/08/professor-david-mohrig-retires-after-20-years-at-the-jackson-school/

08/07/2026

A new documentary by The University of Texas at Austin highlights the legacy of the Jackson School's Ernie Lundelius, a professor and director emeritus of The University of Texas Vertebrate Paleontology Collections

Lundelius is well-known for his work on Ice Age fossils in Central Texas caves. But some of his earliest research was conducted on a Fulbright scholarship at a cave in Australia. For decades, Lundelius has been working on publishing findings from that early project.

Watch the documentary for more on Lundelius, his impact on paleontology at UT and beyond, and how, with a little help, he was able to close a chapter on research that's been 70 years in the making.

08/04/2026

With a Super El Niño brewing in the atmosphere, there's concern about what the weather pattern means for the U.S. and the Southwest. Texas is already experiencing another summer of weather extremes: destructive rainfall and flooding followed by dangerous heat, with Tropical Storm Bertha now moving ...