Curriculum Vitae
Robert D. van der Hilst
Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
77 Massachusetts Avenue, 54-426
Cambridge, MA 01239, USATel: 617-253-6977
Fax: 617-258-9697
hilst@mit.edu
EMPLOYMENT
2012-2025 Department Head, EAPS-MIT
2004-2012 Director, Earth Resources Laboratory, EAPS-MIT
2010- Schlumberger Professor of Earth Sciences, EAPS MIT
2003-2010 Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Earth Sciences, EAPS-MIT
2000-2003 Professor of Geophysics, EAPS-MIT
2001-2009 Visiting Professor of Geophysics, Utrecht University, Department of Earth Sciences (seismology), The Netherlands
1998- Visiting Professor, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP) (Equipe: Sismologie Globale), France
1998-2000 Associate Professor (tenured since 1999), EAPS-MIT
1996-1998 Assistant Professor, EAPS-MIT
1996-1998 Adjunct Fellow, Australian National University (ANU), Research School of Earth Sciences, Australia
1992-1995 Research Fellow, RSES-ANU
1990-1992 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of Leeds, (Earth Sciences), United Kingdom
1986-1990 Graduate Research Assistant, Utrecht University, Department of Theoretical Geophysics
1983-1984 Lecturer, Geophysics and Structural Geology, University of Botswana, Botswana
EDUCATION
1990 Ph.D., Utrecht University (Graduate Advisors: Prof. Dr. N. J. Vlaar and Dr. W. Spakman)
1986 Doctoraal examen (MSc.) Geophysics (Cum Laude), Utrecht University
1986 Doctoraal examen (MSc.) Structural Geology (Cum Laude), Utrecht University
1982 Kandidaatsexamen (BSc.) Geology with Mathematics and Physics, Utrecht University
HONORS AND AWARDS
2018 Ganesa Widya Jasa Adiutama Award, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Indonesia
2014 Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
2010 Outstanding Publication Award, Geological Society of America
for: Royden, Burchfiel, Van der Hilst, The Geological Evolution of the Tibetan Plateau (Science, 2008)
2003 Cecil and Ida Green Chair, MIT
2003-2008 VICI Innovative Research Award, Dutch National Science Foundation (NWO)
1998-2003 Packard Fellow, David and Lucile Packard Foundation (Fellows)
1998 Crafoord Symposium Lecture, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
1997-2000 Kerr-McGee Career Development Chair, MIT
1997 Fellow, American Geophysical Union (List of Fellows)
1997 James B. Macelwane Medal, American Geophysical Union (citation)
1996 Doornbos Memorial Prize, International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth’s Interior
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
- MIT Service:
- 2021 Member, Climate Nucleus
2020-2021 Co-Chair, Evaluation Design Committee, Climate Grand Challenges (w. Kroll)
2020-2021 Member, Faculty Committee, Climate Research Grand Challenges (Deutch)
2019-2020 Member, Faculty Committee on Guidelines for Outside Engagement (Suri)
2019 Member, P-CRSP East Campus Planning Group
2018— Advisory Board, Terrascope (one of MIT’s first-year learning communities)
2015-2017 Advisory Board, Samuel Tak Lee (STL) Real Estate Entrepreneurship Lab
2015-2016 Advisory Board, Kuwait-MIT Center for Natural Resources and Environment
2014-2015 Search Committee, Director MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative
2013— Coordinator, MIT-WHOI Joint Program
2013 Search Committee, Director MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative
2013 Chair, MIT Environmental Initiative Implementation Committee
2004-2012 Director Earth Resources Laboratory (MIT-EAPS)
2004-2012 Director Earth Resources Laboratory (MIT-EAPS)
2003-2008 Chair, Program in Geophysics (MIT-EAPS)
1999-2003 Associate Director Earth Resources Laboratory (MIT-EAPS)
2003-2004 Member, Undergraduate Committee (MIT-EAPS)
2000-2001 Member, MIT Committee on Curricula
1998-2001 Chair, Geophysics Graduate Admission Committee (MIT-EAPS)
- Advisory Boards and Program Committees:
- 2024- Director, Africa2080 Inc., a not-for-profit organization aimed at transforming higher education in Africa
2017-2022 Organization Committee annual “Simons Math + X” Symposia (Houston, Costa Rica, Iceland)
2015-2020 Review Committee, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, China
2015-2016 Bowie Medal Committee, AGU
2015 Chair, Visiting Committee, Department of Earth Sciences, Rice University
2013-2018 Advisory Board “Paris GPX”, a MS program in exploration geophysics
2013-2016 Chair, Publications Committee, AGU
2013 Steering Committee, Induced Seismicity Groningen Gas Field (Ministry of Economic Affairs, The Netherlands)
2013 Chair, Visiting Committee, Department of Geophysics, Stanford University
2010-2012 Member, Publication Committee, American Geophysical Union
2010-2012 Member, Board of Directors, American Geophysical Union
2008-2010 President, Seismology Section of the American Geophysical Union
2006-2008 President-elect, Seismology Section of the American Geophysical Union
2004-2005 AGU 2005 Joint Assembly Chair
2002-2004 Institute of Earth Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei Advisory Committee
2002-2004 National Institute for Environmental eScience, Cambridge, U.K. Advisory Committee
2000-2001 IAGA and IASPEI Join Scientific Assembly 2001 Program Committee
2000-2003 IRIS Executive Committee
1999-2002 USArray (Earthscope) Steering Committee
1998-2000 IRIS Data Management Center Standing Committee (DMS-SC)
1998-2000 AGU Spring Meeting Program Committee for Seismology
1997 Program Committee International Symposium on Continental Roots (MIT-Harvard, Fall 1997)
1995-1996 AGU Western Pacific Geophysics Meeting Program Committee
1994-1996 Chairman, Specialist Group on Solid Earth Geophysics (Geological Society of Australia)
1992-1995 Designer and Project Manager Skippy: a multi-year broad-band seismometry project in Australia
- Editorial:
- 2003-2010 Editor EPSL: Earth and Planetary Science Letters (Elsevier)
2003-2006 Editor GJI: Geophysical Journal International (Blackwell Scientific Publisher)
2002- Editorial Board Geology (Geological Society of America)
2001- Editorial Board PEPI: Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors (Elsevier)
2000-2003 Editorial Board EPSL: Earth and Planetary Science Letters (Elsevier)
1998-2003 Associate Editor JGR: Journal of Geophysical Research (AGU)
1999-2000 Associate Editor G3: Geochemistry, Geophysics, and Geosystems (Electronic journal, AGU)
2003-2005 Co-Editor Structure, Composition, and Evolution of Earth’s Deep Mantle (Geophysical Monograph 160, AGU)
1999-2001 Co-Editor Processes and Consequences of Deep Subduction (Elsevier; also available as Special Issue of PEPI)
1998-1999 Co-Editor Structure, Composition, and Evolution of Continental Lithosphere (Developments in Geotectonics 24, Elsevier; also available as Special Issue of Lithos)
1998-1999 Co-Editor The History and Dynamics of Global Plate Motion (Geophysical Monograph 121, AGU)
1996-1997 Co-Editor Structure and Evolution of the Australian Continent (Geodynamics Series 26, AGU)
1990- Referee for Nature, Science, Geology, Journal of Geophysical Research, Geophysical Research Letters, Geophysical Journal International, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, Tectonophysics, The Australian Journal for Earth Sciences, and for research proposals of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), the Australian Research Council (ARC), and the National Environmental Research Council (NERC)
MEMBERSHIP PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES
American Geophysical Union (1987-)
European Geophysical Society (1990-)
Seismological Society of America (1998-)
Society of Exploration Geophysics (2004-)
POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLARS
Dr. John Castle (02/1999-10/2000)
Dr. Sebastien Chevrot (11/1998-10/2000)
Dr. Sergei Lebedev (05/2000-present; now at Utrecht University, The Netherlands)
Dr. Caroline Beghein (01/2004-12/2005)
Dr. Min Chen (2008-2010; now at Rice University)
Dr. Pierre Gouedard (2009-2012; now at Magnitude, France)
Dr. Bérenice Froment (2012-2014)
Dr. Elizbeth Day (2012-2014)
Dr. Rong He (2013-2015)
Dr. Hangjian Zhang (2015 – 2016)
Dr. Hongjian Fang (2018 – 2020)
Dr. Quanjuan Yu (2016-2018)
Dr. Shujuan Mao (9/2021-12/2021)
Dr. Eric Beaucé (9/2021-1/2022)
Dr. Harry Machette-Downes (2022-2022)
GRADUATE STUDENTS
- At ANU:
- Sri Widiyantoro (PhD June 1997 – now Professor and Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Earth Sciences and Mineral Technology, Bandung Institute of Technology, Indonesia; co-supervisor Prof. B.L.N. Kennett)
- At Utrecht University:
- Caroline Beghein (PhD Oct 2003; co-supervisor Dr. Trampert; now Professor, UCLA)
Dirk Kraaijpoel (PhD Oct 2003; co-supervisors Prof. Snieder, Dr. Roy-Chowdhurry)
Peter van Thienen (PhD Nov 2003; co-supervisors Prof. Vlaar, Dr. van den Berg)
Joost van Summeren (co-supervisor: Dr. van den Berg)
Stefan Carpentier (co-supervisor: Dr. Roy-Chowdhurry) - At MIT:
- Rebecca Saltzer (PhD 2001; now at ExxonMobil)
Frederik Simons (PhD 2002; now Professor, Princeton University)
Hrafnkell Kárason (PhD 2002; co-Supervisor Prof. Hager)
Maureen Long (PhD 2006; now Professor, Yale University)
Hugh Cox (MSc July 2002)
Rosalee Lamm (MSc July 2006)
Chang Li (PhD 2007; now at Chevron, Houston)
Ping Wang (PhD 2007; now VP at C.G. Veritas, Houston)
Huajiang Yao (PhD 2009; Professor, University of Science and Technology China)
Scott Burdick (PhD 2012; now Assistant Professor, Wayne University)
Qin Cao (PhD 2011; now at Google, Houston)
Hui Huang (PhD 2013; now at C.G. Veritas, Houston)
Xuefeng Shang (PhD 2013; now at Shell, Houston)
Chunquan Yu (PhD 2016; now Professor Southern Univ. of Sciences and Technology, China)
Eva Golos (2013—2020; Now Assistant Professor University of Wisconsin, Madison)
Harry Matchette-Downes (2015—2021)
Shunjuan Mao (2015—2021; Now Assistant Professor UT Austin)
Eric Beaucé (2016—2021; Now Research Scientist LDEO, Columbia University)
UNDERGRADUATE SUPERVISION
Geoff Clitheroe (ANU), Heather Hooper (MIT)
Robert van der hilst 