Barbara Romanowicz is a geophysicist whose research aims at furthering our understanding of the dynamics and evolution of our planet. She develops and applies novel seismic imaging tools to map elastic, anelastic and anisotropic structures in the deep earth. Her work has clarified the morphology of deep mantle plumes, layering in the continental lithosphere, and revealed mega ultra-low-velocity zones at the base of the mantle. She has played a leading role in the construction of the global international network of seismic stations and founded the real-time earthquake notification system in northern California.
Her awards include the Silver Medal of the French Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, the Alfred Wegener Medal of the EUG, the Beno Gutenberg Medal of the EGS, the Inge Lehmann and William Bowie Medals of the AGU, the Harry F. Reid Medal of the SSA and the Wollaston Medal of the GSL. She is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the French Academie des Sciences and a foreign member of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
Professional position
- Professor of Geophysics, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Berkeley
- Professeur Honoraire (Emeritus), Collège de France
