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PI Jin S Zhang

2010 - present

2010 - present

IMG_20180815_164046_1_2.jpg

Email: 

jinzhang@tamu.edu    jin.shelley.zhang@gmail.com

Associate Professor

Department of Geology and Geophysics

Texas A&M University

​Contact:

Michel T. Halbouty Geosciences Building

Room 157

College Station, TX 77843

Research Interests:

  • Structure, composition, and dynamics of Earth’s mantle and core

  • Structure, evolution and dynamic process of lithosphere and subducting slabs

  • Experimental mineral physics & petrology: phase transformations, elasticity and anisotropy, crystallography, spectroscopy

  • Material science: Phonon dispersion and phononic crystals

Education

  • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    • Ph.D. in Mineral Physics, Aug.2014  Advisor: Professor Jay D. Bass

  • Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China

    • B.S. in Geology, Jun. 2008    Advisor: Professor Rucheng Wang

Professional Experience

  • Associate Professor, Department of Geology and Geophysics, Texas A&M University, Aug. 2022 - present

  • Assistant Professor, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Institute of Meteoritics, University of New Mexico, Jul. 2016 - Jul. 2022

  • COMPRES Technology Researcher, Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP), University of Hawai’i Nov. 2014 - Jul. 2016

  • Postdoc Associate, Department of Geology, University of Illinois Aug.2014 – Nov. 2014

  • Undergraduate Mentor, Department of Geology, University of Illinois Fall 2013- Nov. 2014

    • Co-advising undergraduate students: Andrea Vella, Vlad Iordache, and Soojinn Hyung 

  • Research Assistant, Department of Geology, University of Illinois Fall 2008-Aug.2014

  • Teaching Assistant, Department of Geology, University of Illinois

    • Lab Instructor of Geology 432: Mineralogy and Mineral Optics Fall 2010 Fall 2011

  • Assistant Guide, Nanjing Museum of Paleontology, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, 2007-2008

  • Undergraduate Research Assistant, Department of Earth sciences, Nanjing University

Skills

  • Experiment techniques & Instrumentation:

    • Synchrotron X-ray: Single-crystal/ powder X-ray diffraction, synchrotron Mossbauer spectroscopy

      X-ray thermal diffused scattering (TDS)

    • Light scattering spectroscopy: Brillouin and Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

    • High-pressure high-temperature techniques: diamond-anvil cells, multi-anvil press, CO2 Laser heating, resistance heating

    • Other analysis techniques: Electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA); scanning electron microscope (SEM)

    • Major experimental efforts to date:

      • Assembly and calibration of a Brillouin scattering system for single-crystal elasticity and diamond cell high-pressure elasticity measurements;

      • Development of X-ray thermal diffused scattering technique for measuring single-crystal elastic properties of materials;

      • Participating in design and construction of a Brillouin facility for acoustic dispersion measurements;

      • Design and construction of a CO2 laser-heating system for high-temperature high-pressure Brillouin measurements with the diamond-anvil cell, integrated with Raman spectroscopy and spectro-radiometric temperature measurements.

  • Computer Tools: 

    • Programming skills:

      • Python: development of python code packages for TDS data analysis and high P-T elasticity analysis 

      • LabVIEW (CLAD - NI Certified LabVIEW Associate Developer),

      • Other: C/C++, Matlab, html, etc.

    • Single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis: GSE_ADA, GSE_rsv, Endeavor, etc.

    • Spectral analysis and standard software tools: Office, Origin Pro… etc.

Honors and Awards

  • COMPRES Distinguished Lecturer (2019-2020)

  • CAREER award, National Science Foundation (2019)

  • Harriett Wallace Award, for outstanding woman graduate student: Department of Geology, University of Illinois (2014)

  • R. James Kirkpatrick Award, for outstanding graduate studnet research: Department of Geology, University of Illinois (2013)

  • Harriett Wallace Award, for outstanding woman graduate student: Department of Geology, University of Illinois (2012)

  • BP Fellowship Award: Department of Geology, University of Illinois (2011-2012)

  • Department Fellowship, for outstanding entering graduate student: Department of Geology, University of Illinois (2008)

  • 10th Forum on Sciences and Arts in the discipline of astronomy and geosciences: Nanjing University (1st place 2007)

  • 5.20 forum of Earth Sciences for undergraduate research: Department of Earth sciences, Nanjing University (1st place 2006)

  • People's Scholarship, for outstanding academic performance: Nanjing University (1st place 2005, 2006; 2nd place 2007)

  • National Fundamental Science Education Award, for outstanding academic performance: Nanjing University (1st place 2005)

Teaching and Adminstrative work

  • Teaching experience:

    • 2008-2014 Fall: UIUC-GEOL432 Teaching assistant for mineralogy and mineral optics

    • 2017/2018/2019/2020/2022 Spring:  UNM-EPS303 Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology (Co-teach with Dr. Brearley)

    • 2017/2018/2021 Fall: UNM-EPS 519/400 Chemistry (and Physics) of the Earth’s interior

    • 2019 Fall: UNM-EPS 101 Introduction to Geology: How Earth Works

  • Community administrative work:

    • Consortium for Materials Properties Research in Earth Sciences

      • Elected member of Education Outreach Infrastructure and Development committee (2017-2020)

      • Annual Meeting Session Convener/Chair: 2015

      • Annual Meeting Faculty Judge for Outstanding Student Presentation Award (2017-)

      • Annual Meeting Field trip Organizer: conference field trip to Mount Taylor, NM (2018)

      • Annual Meeting Organizing committee Chair (2022)

    • American Geophysical Union

      • Elected secretary Mineral and Rock Physics Section (2019-2020)

      • Online Initiative on Twitter: "a week in the life of a mineral/rock physicist"

      • Establish the new AGU MRP section website

      • Annual Meeting Session Convener/Chair: 2017, 2018

      • Annual Meeting Faculty Judge for Outstanding Student Presentation Award (2017, 2019)

    • Goldschmit Meeting:​

      • Session Convener/Chair: 2022​

    • International Mineralogical Association Meeting:

      • Session Convener: 2022

    • Meteoritical Society

      • Local organization committee for 2017 MetSoc annual meeting

      • Local Organizer: Workshop for Martian meteorites under petrographic microscope (PI Tony Irving) 

    • Reviewing for Journals: ~10/year
      Nature, Scientific report, Nature Communications, Nature Reviews Earth and Environment, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Advanced Science, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Geophysics Research Letters, Journal of Geophysical Research, Earth Science Frontier, Chemical Physics Letters, Physics of Earth and Planetary Interiors, Geosciences, Comptes Rendus Geoscience, American Mineralogist, Minerals, Journal of Applied Physics, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, Journal of Raman spectroscopy, Zeitschrift für Naturforschung.

    • Reviewing for National Funding organizations: ~2-3/year
      •    NSF Geophysics Program
      •    NSF Cooperative Studies Of The Earth's Deep Interior Program 
      •    NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship Program 

    • Reviewing for National Experimental facilities: ~15-30/year
      •    High-pressure experimental beamtime proposals for Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (2016 –)

​              •    High-pressure experimental beamtime proposals for  Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) (2021 –)

  • University service:

UNM Faculty Senate Research Allocations Committee (Fall 2020-Summer2022)

NSF CAREER Cohort Kickoff Meeting (Nov. 15 2019)

Sandia High-pressure - UNM geophysics research workshop, for discussing the future collaborations, University of New Mexico (Dsecember 19, 2017)​

  • Department service:

Graduate Admission Committee (2016-2020)
Instrument and Facilities Committee (2017-2021)
Strategic and Planning Committee (2019-2021)
Ad hoc member of the EPS degree curriculum committee (2017-2018) 
Sub-committee for the Earth History class
Search committee for the Caswell Silver Visiting Professor position (2018-2019) 
Search committee for the tenure-track geodesy position (2019-2020)
Graduate school Q&A meeting with EPS, ENVIS majors (February 21, 2018)

Search committee for the Caswell Silver Visiting Professor position (2018-2019)

Search committee for the tenure-track geodesy position (2019-2020)

Graduate school Q&A meeting with EPS, ENVIS majors (February 21, 2018)

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