David Shelly
I use seismic waveforms, typically recorded at or near the surface, to infer physical processes associated with active faulting. I often work to understand earthquake sequences, their underlying interactions, and their tectonic implications through analysis of small earthquakes in aftershocks sequences or earthquake swarms.
I earned my Ph.D. from Stanford University, examining the mechanism of "non-volcanic tremor" in the Nankai subduction zone. After finishing my Ph.D., I was a Miller Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Berkeley and a Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow in the USGS Earthquake Science Center, where I focused on detecting and understanding tremor beneath the San Andreas Fault. From 2010-2018 I was a Research Geophysicist with the USGS Volcano Science Center in Menlo Park, California, where I initiated new work on earthquake swarms and fluid-faulting interactions in volcanic and hydrothermal regions, including Yellowstone and Long Valley Calderas.
Since 2018, I am a member of the Geologic Hazards Science Center in Golden, Colorado, with a broad research portfolio that includes earthquake sequences and source physics, tectonics, monitoring (detection, location, magnitudes, focal mechanisms), tectonic tremor, and volcano seismology.
Professional Experience
2018-present - Research Geophysicist, Geologic Hazards Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Golden, CO
2010-2018 - Research Geophysicist, Volcano Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA
2008-2010 - Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow, Earthquake Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA
2007-2008 - Miller Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley
Education and Certifications
2007 - Ph.D., Geophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
2000 - B.A. Mathematics-Physics, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA
Honors and Awards
2015 & 2010 - Editor’s Citation for Excellence in Refereeing, Geophysical Research Letters
2014 - Kavli Fellow, National Academy of Sciences
2012 - Macelwane Medal, presented by the American Geophysical Union for significant contributions to the geophysical sciences by an outstanding early career scientist.
2012 - Fellow, American Geophysical Union
2011 - Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) recipient
2011 - Charles F. Richter Early Career Award, Seismological Society of America, awarded to one early career scientist annually for outstanding contributions to the Society
2008 - Keiiti Aki Young Scientist Award, AGU Seismology, given to recognize the scientific accomplishments of a junior scientist who makes outstanding contributions to the advancement of seismology