Research Interests:
Mark Richards is a geophysicist who mainly studies the relationship between interior processes in the Earth and
surface manifestations such as plate tectonics, volcanism, and the rebound of continental land masses following
Ice Age deglaciation. His work has increased our understanding of the relationship between the shape of the Earth’s
gravity field and the history of global plate motions, the genesis of “hotspot” island chains such as Hawaii and Galapagos,
the role of these volcanic islands in biological evolution, the nature of Earth’s largest volcanic eruptions, or "flood basalts,"
such as the Deccan Traps and the Columbia River Basalts, and how these events may be related to mass extinction
events. Richards is also a national leader in diversifying the ranks of doctoral students, postdocs, and faculty in the
mathematical and physical sciences.
Education:
PhD, Geophysics, California Institute of Technology
MS, Applied Physics, California Institute of Technology
BS, Engineering Science, University of Texas, Austin
Honors and Awards:
Chancellor’s Award for Advancing Institutional Excellence, for contributions to diversity at UC Berkeley (2014)
Leon Henkin Citation for Distinguished Service and Contributions to Diversity, UC Berkeley Academic Senate (2013)
Fellow, California Academy of Sciences (elected 2013)
Lux Award for Diversity in Higher Education, Level Playing Field Institute (2011)
Fellow, American Geophysical Union (elected 1998)
Presidential Young Investigator, National Science Foundation (1990-1995)
