Title: Fast Algorithms for Mathematical Modeling and Inversion in Geophysical Exploration

Speaker: Jianliang Qian, Department of Mathematics and Department of CMSE, Michigan State University, Michigan, USA

Time: 2:15pm-3:00pm, June 19

Venue: A1-512, Main Building

Abstract: Geophysical exploration delineates the depth and structures of natural-resources related geological formations by collecting and analyzing the Earth echoes from passive and active sources. Mathematical geophysics utilizes a variety of modeling and inversion tools to reveal subsurface structure quantitatively from these response data. Since a typical 3-D seismic survey yields several terabytes data, fast algorithms are essential for processing these data. Over the years my group has developed a range of fast algorithms aimed at mathematical problems arising from geophysical exploration. I will put these algorithms into both mathematical and geophysical perspectives by demonstrating various examples, including seismic waves, electromagnetic waves, gravity, and magnetics.

Short biography:

Dr. Qian is a Professor in the Department of Mathematics at Michigan State University with a joint appointment in the Department of Computational Mathematics and Science and Engineering. He currently serves as the Director of Michigan Center for Industrial and Applied Mathematics at MSU. Dr. Qian received his Ph.D. in Computational and Applied Mathematics from Rice University in 2000. He held the following academic positions: 2007-2015 Assistant and Associate Professor of Mathematics at MSU; 2005-2007 Assistant Professor of Mathematics, Wichita State University; 2002-2005 Assistant Professor in Computational and Applied Mathematics, UCLA; 2000-2002 Postdoctoral Fellow at IMA, University of Minnesota.  His research interests are: computational geometrical optics for wave propagation, level-set methods for potential field inversion, travel-time tomography, and inverse problems.