Geodata Science Initiative
Solid-Earth & Planetary
Researchers develop and apply data science methods to large-scale problems in solid-earth geosciences and planetary science, including those of theoretical and applied geophysics, seismology, tectonophysics, surface processes, and energy science.
Atmospheric & Environmental
Researchers develop and apply advanced data science methods to areas of atmospheric and environmental sciences, including clouds and convection, Earth and climate systems, severe weather, subseasonal-to-seasonal prediction, geohydrology, and food-energy-water systems.
Transdisciplinary & Dynamic
Researchers from across campus conduct collaborative research in the nexus of weather, climate, environment, resources, energy, and society, supported by high performance computing clusters with GPU or Hadoop systems. Subgroups frequently reach out to public or private sectors and form international partnerships.
Becoming Engaged
Contact affiliated faculty directly for collaboration or research opportunities. Prospective graduate students can apply for PhD or thesis-based MS study in each affiliated faculty's EAPS subject area. Prospective MS students pursuing rigorous coursework and practical research toward industrial careers should apply for the Geodata Science for Professional (GDSP) MS program.
Geodata Science News
Decoding Space Rocks with AI: The Meteorite Breakthrough
08-13-2025
Securities — Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the way we do things, not only on Earth but also in Space. Lead author Marissa Tremblay, assistant professor with EAPS, further noted that meteorites tend to be denser than rocks on Earth, are magnetic and contain metal. However, finding meteorites isn't that easy.
Common clay could be cheapest-ever way to capture CO₂, say US scientists.
07-01-2025
Interesting Engineering — A group of scientists from Purdue University and Sandia National Laboratories has made a surprising breakthrough in climate technology using one of the most common materials on Earth—clay. EAPS's Cliff Johnston is cited in the article.
Fewer Sensors, Clearer Images: The Future of Seismic Research
05-19-2025
Researchers at Purdue University have theorized a new way to see what lies beneath the Earth's surface. This innovative method, developed by Ph.D. student Sayan Mukherjee and Professor Yunyue Elita Li from the EAPS Department at Purdue University, could greatly enhance industries that require images of the subsurface, all while saving costs and boosting efficiency. Their work has been published in Geophysics.
Lunar meteorite discovery supports Purdue-led model of early Moon evolution
05-07-2025
A rock that crash-landed on Earth has made lunar science history, and a Purdue scientist, Tabb Prissel, played a key role in modeling its formation history. For the first time, researchers have classified a whole-rock meteorite as a lunar norite (Arguin 002), an igneous lunar rock type primarily comprised of the minerals orthopyroxene and plagioclase feldspar.
Curiosity rover makes ‘arguably the most exciting organic detection to date on Mars’
03-31-2025
CNN — The NASA Curiosity rover has detected the largest organic molecules found to date on Mars, opening a window into the red planet’s past. The newly detected compounds suggest complex organic chemistry may have occurred in the planet’s past — the kind necessary for the origin of life, according to new research. EAPS's own Briony Horgan was quoted in the article.
How NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission may help us understand the origins of life on Earth
02-10-2025
PBS News — The origins of life on our planet remains one of science’s great mysteries. Now, a NASA mission that brought a piece of an ancient asteroid back to Earth has revealed that the building blocks of life may have been scattered throughout the solar system billions of years ago. Purdue EAPS Associate Professor Michelle Thompson is interviewed in the PBS News video.