Early Earth, potential habitability, tectonic boundaries, geodynamics, melt generation & transport in the mantle, numerical modeling, reactive thermodynamic modeling, aqueous geochemistry, parallel computing, planetary formation & evolution, fluid dynamics, multi-phase flows.
Ph.D., Earth Sciences 2018.
University of California, San Diego.
Dissertation: “The depth of mid-ocean ridges through Earth’s evolution and a two-phase study of melt focusing at mid-ocean ridges”.
Advisers: Dave R. Stegman and James Day.
Committee: Marc Spiegelman, Donna Blackman, Jeff Gee and Juan Carlos Del Alamo.
M.S., Mechanical Engineering 2013.
University of California, San Diego.
Committee: Jan P. Kleissl and Eugene R. Pawlak.
B.S., Earth Science (honors) 2011.
University of California, San Diego.
Assistant professor, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2024 - present.
Research Associate PI, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2020 - 2024.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Carnegie Institution for Science, 2018 - 2020.
Carbon transport at subduction zones using two-phase flow numerical models.
Graduate Student Researcher, University of California, San Diego, 2014 - 2018.
Analyzed mantle convection model outputs to look at depths of mid-ocean ridges through Earth’s evolution and developed two phase flow input codes, M3LT, for TerraFERMA software to study melt focusing at mid-ocean ridges.
Graduate Student Researcher, University of California, San Diego, 2011 - 2014.
Modeling of vent asymmetry on explosive volcanic eruptions using Cartablanca software (Los Alamos) with Darcy Ogden.
Undergraduate Research Project, University of California, San Diego, 2010 - 2011.
Microseismic signatures of hurricane Ioke and hurricane Katrina, Gabi Laske.
Undergraduate Research Assistant, University of California, San Diego, 2010 - 2011.
Crust project, data compilation of crustal thicknesses from seismic reflection surveys, Gabi Laske.
Dr Mitchell McMillan May 2022 - present.
Brandon Lopez Fall 2023 - present.
Chazerae (Ayo) Pierce-Walker Fall 2023 - present.
Lindsay Chuang (PhD) Graduated 2024
Samuel Ofori (Masters) In progress
Ashleigh Miller (PhD) In progress
Neosha Narayanan (PhD) In progress
Amita Anand (Mathematics, Georgia Tech) Fall 2024 - present
How does higher order effective shear rheology affect melt transport and porosity waves beneath mid-ocean ridges
Abdulaziz Alajlan (Computer Science, Georgia Tech) Fall 2024 - present
NSF-geophysics grant, Extending felsic thermodynamic reactions to mafic domains
Shradha Ravikumar Summer UNAVCO RESESS Programme 2023.
Currently Bridge to Graduate school fellow at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University.
Ting-Ying Yu, Rosen (ECE, Georgia Tech) Fall 2021-Spring 2023.
PURA award (Fall 2022); Current PhD student at MIT.
Allen Moore (Physics, Georgia Tech) Spring 2022-Fall 2022.
PURA award (Fall 2022).
Casey Smith (Harding University) Summer 2022.
EAS-REU; Geoscience major at University of Arkansas - Fort Smith.
Susan Harrison (EAS, Georgia Tech) Summer 2021.
Current Masters student at Georgia Tech.
Keneni Godana (University of Illinois, Chicago) Summer 2021.
EAS-REU and CIG-SMOREs program; Current PhD student at UCSB.
NSF Tectonics “RUI: Collaborative Research: Resolving the effects of lithospheric foundering on mountain building: An example from the southern Puna plateau, Argentina,” EAR 2420822 (co-PI) $375k (2024-2027), Alex Tye (Lead PI; Utah Tech University), Marissa Trembley (co-PI; Purdue University), Lindsay Schoenbohm (Collaborator; University of Toronto).
NSF Geophysics/Petrology and Geochemistry “Eclogitization of continental lithosphere from subduction zone devolatilization,” EAR 2323318 (PI) $385k (2023-2025), Cian Wilson (Collaborator; Carnegie Institution for Science).
CSTAR Co-location Fellowship, Georgia Tech
CSTAR Travel grant, Georgia Tech
Paul G. Silver Young Scholar Research Enhancement Award, IGPP, SIO 2015.
Earth Science (B.S. Honors) Top of Class Award 2011.
Thurgood Marshall College and Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
AGU Outstanding Student Paper Award, Fall AGU meeting 2010
[9] M. McMillan, **S.J. Sim, C. Wilson (In revision) Reactive thermodynamics of crustal foundering
[8] S.J. Sim, T.Y. Yu * , C. Havlin, B. Holtzman (2024) Persistence of fabrics in the oceanic lithosphere due to differential freezing, Geophysical Research Letters, https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL109440.
[7] S.J.Sim, M.Hirschmann, S.Hier-Majumder (2024) Volatile and Trace Element Storage in a Crystallizing Martian Magma Ocean, JGR-Planets, https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JE008346.
[6] S.J. Sim, M. Spiegelman, D.R. Stegman, C. Wilson (In revisions) M3LT: A new open source model to explore the dynamics of Melt in the Mantle beneath Mid-ocean ridge, Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst..
[5] A. Robel, S.J. Sim, C. Meyer, M. Siegfried, C. Gustafson (2023) Contemporary Ice Sheet Thinning Drives Subglacial Groundwater Exfiltration, Science Advances, doi/10.1126/sciadv.adh3693.
[4] S.J. Sim (2022) Persistent magma-rich waves beneath mid-ocean ridges explain long periodicity on ocean floor fabric, Geophysical Research Letters, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL098110.
[3] R. Parnell-Turner, S.J. Sim, J.A. Olive, (2020) Time-dependent crustal accretion on the Southeast Indian Ridge from Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 search data, Geophysical Research Letters, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL087349.
[2] S.J. Sim, M. Spiegelman, D.R. Stegman, C. Wilson, (2020) Influence of permeability and spreading rate on melt focusing beneath mid-ocean ridges, Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pepi.2020.106486.
[1] S.J. Sim, D.R. Stegman, N. Coltice, (2016) Influence of Continental growth on mid-ocean ridge depth, Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., 17 (11), 4425-4437, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GC006629.
[27] Joint seminar between Physics and Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, 2024.
[26] Department of Geosciences seminar, Virginia Tech, 2024.
[25] CIDER Lecturer, 2023.
[24] Geophysics Seminar, Caltech, 2023.
[23] Western Washington University (virtual), 2023.
[22] AGU Fall meeting, 2022 (Withdrawn).
[21] Department of Planetary Physics, German Aerospace Center 2022.
[20] Ada Lovelace Workshop, 2022.
[19] T42A-01, AGU Fall meeting, 2021 (Withdrawn).
[18] EGU General Assembly, 2021.
[17] Stout Lecture series (Virtual), University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2021.
[16] Sections DI007 and DI009, AGU Virtual Fall meeting, 2020.
[15] University of California, Davis, 2020.
[14] Guy F. Atkinson Distinguished Lecture Series (Virtual), University of Utah, 2020.
[13] Geodynamics and Tectonics Virtual Seminar, 2020.
[12] University of Maryland, Maryland, 2020.
[11] AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, 2019.
[10] University of Delaware, Delaware, 2019.
[9] Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea, 2019.
[8] Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, NY, 2019.
[7] George Mason University, Virginia, 2019.
[6] Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 2019.
[5] Geological Society of Washington, Washington, DC, 2019.
[4] ETH Zurich, Switzerland, 2018.
[3] University of Mainz, Germany, 2018.
[2] University of Bergen, Norway, 2018.
[1] Fall AGU meeting, 2011.
PROGRESS mentor 2024-2025.
PROGRESS Pathways panelist Fall 2024.
First Gen Faculty inaugural cohort (Georgia Tech) 2023-2024.
Elected Postdoctoral representative at Carnegie Institution for Science 2019 - 2020.
Women and Minorities in Science (SIO) 2012 - 2017.
Team for Inclusion & Diversity in Education & Science (SIO) 2012 - 2016.
Mechanical Engineering Graduate Women group (UCSD) 2014 - 2016.
Stillwater Intrusive Complex and the Columbia River Flood Basalt 2015.
Collecting rock samples for geochemical analysis.
MIST Expedition 2014.
Multibeam bathymetry, CHIRP, and sediment coring, 23 days at sea on R/V Revelle.
EAS 4312/6312: Geodynamics, Spring 2025.
Tech to Teaching, Spring 2024
Center for Teaching and Learning, Georgia Institute of Technology.
EAS 3610: Introduction to Geophysics, Fall 2022.
Guest lecturer on “Overview of Geodynamics”.
Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics Summer MOdeling Research Experiences (CIG SMOREs) Lecturer Summer 2021.
Introduction to python in geodynamics, Magmatism.
SIO10: The Earth Spring 2017.
Teaching Assistant for Prof. Adrian Borsa.
Guest lecture for GLADE: Parallel computing and using Paraview for visualization Summer 2016.
Prof. Dave Stegman.
SIO15: Natural Hazards Fall 2010.
Teaching Assistant for Prof. Gabi Laske.
Reviewer: NSF, NASA, Geophysical research letters, Gcubed, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Nature Geoscience, Science Advances, Geology, Geophysical Journal International.
Executive Secretary and Panelist, NASA Solar Systems Workings ROSES.
Co-chair, Session at Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Woodlands, TX.
Co-organizer, Serpentinite, Fluids and Plate Boundary Deformation in Subduction Zones scientific workshop 2024, Québec, Canada.
MCS Steering Committee, Subduction Zone 4D Modeling Collaboratory for Subduction RCN 2022 –present.
Writing committee, Rift2Ridge NSF-sponsored Workshop report 2022.
Co-Convenor, Tectonic session on ‘Connecting the Ins and Outs of Subduction Zones’ (T41D, T43A, T44A, and T45B) 2021, AGU Fall Meeting.
Co-Organizer, Rift2Ridge Workshop 2021, Virtual.
Co-Organizer, FEniCS conference 2019, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC.
Participant, Gordon Research Conference Interior of the Earth 2019, Mount Holyoke College, MA.
Invited presenter, SZ4D Fluid migration modeling RCN 2019, University of Minnesota, Minnesota.
Participant, GeoPRISMS TEI Synthesis and Integration 2019, San Antonio, Texas.
Participant, Gordon Research Conference Deep Carbon Science 2018, Bryant University, Smithfleld, RI.
Executive Secretary and Panelist, NASA Solar Systems Workings ROSES 2018.
Session co-chair, DI session on ‘Lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary’ 2017, Fall AGU meeting.
Participant, Melt in the Mantle workshop 2016, University of Cambridge, UK.
Participant, San Diego Supercomputer Center Summer Institute 2015, UC San Diego.
Participant, CIDER summer program 2015, UC Berkeley.
Participant, Volcanology fleld trip to Kamchatka 2013, University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
Participant, Infrasound post-IAVCEI workshop 2013, Kagoshima, Japan.
Co-organizer, Earth Section Seminar 2013-2014, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego.
[22] Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 2024, Woodlands, TX.
[21] Fall AGU Meeting, 2023, San Francisco.
[20] Fall AGU Meeting, 2022, Chicago (Withdrawn).
[19] Ada Lovelace Workshop, 2022, Heviv, Hungary (Invited).
[18] GeoPRISMs Volatiles Workshop, 2022, Montana. “Rift2Ridge vision”.
[17] Fall AGU meeting, 2021, New Orleans (Withdrawn).
[16] EGU meeting, 2021. “(Invited) Melt transport beneath mid-ocean ridges”.
[15] Fall AGU meeting, Virtual, 2020.
[14] Fall AGU meeting, San Francisco, 2019. “Carbon solubility in the subducting slab and mantle wedge”.
[13] Fall AGU meeting, San Francisco, 2019. “(Invited) Melt focusing beneath mid-ocean ridges”.
[12] FEniCS workshop, Carnegie Institution for Science, DC, 2019. “Melt transport beneath mid-ocean ridges”.
[11] Gordon Conference: Interior of the Earth, MA, 2019. “Tectonic boundaries: a modeling perspective from past to present”.
[10] Fluids Modeling RCN, University of Minnesota, 2019. “(Invited) Tectonic boundaries: a modeling perspective”.
[9] Fall AGU meeting, Washington, DC, 2018. “Melt focusing beneath mid-ocean ridges”.
[8] Gordon Conference: Deep Carbon, RI, 2018. “Melt focusing at mid-ocean ridges using two phase numerical model”.
[7] Fall AGU meeting, New Orleans, LA, 2017. “V51D-0403: A focus on melt focusing”.
[6] Fall AGU meeting, San Francisco, CA, 2015. “P31D-2084: The efects of continental growth on global sea level”.
[5] Comparative Tectonics and Geodynamics of Venus, Earth and Rocky Exoplanets, Caltech, CA, 2015. “Ocean depth through deep time”.
[4] IAVCEI meeting, Kagoshima, Japan, 2013. “Effects of Vent Asymmetry on Plume Dynamics for Explosive Eruptions”.
[3] Fall AGU meeting, San Francisco, CA, 2012. “V41B-2791: Effects of Vent Asymmetry on Explosive Eruptions”.
[2] Fall AGU meeting, San Francisco, CA, 2011. “(Invited) NH51A-1692 Source Analysis of Two Unique Microseismic Signatures of
Hurricane Katrina (2005) and Ioke (2006)”.
[1] Fall AGU meeting, San Francisco, CA, 2010. “NH13A-1142 Comparison of the Microseism of Katrina (2005) and Ioke (2006)”.
English Native (Read and Write).
Mandarin Native (Read and Write) - Hokkien and Cantonese spoken
Spanish College-level (Read and Write)
Malay Native (Spoken only)
Programming python, C++, java, fortran