bio photo

Mathieu Dumberry

email: dumberry@ualberta.ca

Professor

Department of Physics
University of Alberta
Edmonton, AB
T6G 2E1
Canada
Office: CCIS 3-093

Research Program Overview

My research program focuses on the structure and dynamics of the deep interior of planetary bodies, including Earth. Space exploration over the past decades has provided an abundance of information on the planets and moons in our Solar system. Yet our knowledge of their interior structures - which is tied to how they evolved and how the Solar system was formed - remains very limited. My research addresses this gap in knowledge by using information on the rotation of planets and moons, one of the very few techniques available that allows us to uncover their interior structure remotely.


My research further aims at improving our knowledge of the dynamics and flows that exist in the liquid cores of planets. For Earth, understanding the nature of these flows is important because they are responsible for generating, and modifying, the magnetic field that acts as a shield against high energy Solar particles. Furthermore, flows in the core cause some of the observed variations in Earth’s rotation, gravity and ground deformations. My research then also has a practical application as processes in the atmosphere, oceans and ice-sheets connected to climate change are also constrained by the changes they induce in these observables.


For prospective graduate students: I have many projects that are appropriate for either MSc or PhD theses. Please browse my Research and Publications pages to get a glimpse of the type of research that I do and might interest you. Feel free to email me to inquire about the possibility of pursuing a graduate degree under my supervision and discuss research project ideas.

Education

  • B. Sc. in Physics, 1994, Université de Sherbrooke
  • M. Sc. in Geophysics, 1998, University of British Columbia
  • Ph. D. in Geophysics, 2004, Harvard University

  • Academic Employment

  • 2004 - 2007: NERC postdoctoral research fellow at University of Leeds
  • January 2008 - July 2014: Assistant professor at University of Alberta
  • February 2015 - July 2015: Professeur invité, Université Grenoble-Alpes
  • July 2014 - present: Associate professor at University of Alberta

  • Awards and distinctions

  • Editors’ Citation for Excellence in Refereeing, Journal of Geophysical Research - Planets, 2016.
  • Best Young scientist award, Canadian Geophysical Union, 2013.
  • Zatman lecture (young scientist award), Study of the Earth's Deep Interior (SEDI), 2008.