Research Areas
Atmospheric Sciences
We study extreme weather, climate change, and their impacts on both ecosystems and modern society.
Environmental Geoscience
We use biology, chemistry, geology, and physics to understand how the Earth System supports such a diversity of life and how human behavior is impacting this system.
Geodata Science Initiative
Data science is the fourth and the newest paradigm of science. In Geodata Science Initiative, we conduct transdisciplinary research, merging or articulating EAPS subject matters with technical areas in data science: statistical and machine learning methods and models, algorithms for the models and methods, and computational environments for data analysis.
Geology and Geophysics
We study the processes that shape our planet, from the building of mountains and oil-bearing sedimentary basins, to the flow of warm rocks and cold glaciers, to the triggering of earthquakes.
Planetary Science
We study the evolution of the solar system and how planets evolve over time due to impacts, tectonics, and atmospheric processes, with an eye to the potential for past and future habitability.
Research News
Advancing Space Exploration at Purdue: Not Afraid to Go First
03-12-2025
The College of Science in combination with the College of Engineering held the first of many collaborative conventions at Purdue University to help the world boldly explore the vast universe around us. We call "dibs" in being the first to go, and we plan to stay the course. At Purdue, we'd like to play a part in every mission. The Advancing Space Exploration at Purdue convention was set up to help faculty and staff collaborate on our next giant leaps.
03-10-2025
Assistant Professor Tabb Prissel joined the faculty in the fall of 2024. Prissel graduated summa cum laude with a B.Sc. in geosciences and a minor in astronomy at Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM). He earned his Ph.D. in geological sciences from Brown University and was then awarded the Gordon McKay Postdoctoral Fellowship with the Lunar and Planetary Institute.
Unburied treasure: Rover researchers find unexpected minerals on Mars
03-05-2025
Pale rocks on the red planet tell stories of a watery history and hint at possibilities of life. EAPS's own Mars expert Roger Wiens and his team, including the rover Perseverance, discovered fascinating rocks incorporating kaolinite and spinel on Mars’ surface that form in warm, wet environments but the origin of the rocks remains a mystery.
Sara Cuevas-Quiñones earns Fulbright as Purdue continues streak as top producer
03-05-2025
Purdue University has once again been recognized as a top producer of Fulbright students and scholars, marking its fourth consecutive year earning this distinction from the U.S. Department of State.
Bell powers notable studies of seismology, volcano dynamics
03-05-2025
EAPS professor Xiaotao Yang is using the Rosen Center for Advanced Computing (RCAC)’s powerful Bell supercomputer for seismic imaging and to better understand the lithosphere, the outermost layer of the Earth, and how earthquakes and volcanoes occur.