USU Geophysicist Chosen for AGU Jason Morgan Early Career Award

A Utah State University researcher has been selected for one of the top honors for early career geophysicists. 

Srisharan Shreedharan, an earthquake geophysicist from USU’s Department of Water, Earth, and Environmental Sciences has been selected for the 2026 Jason Morgan Early Career Award in Tectonophysics from the American Geophysical Union (AGU).

The award recognizes an individual each year for outstanding and significant contributions through research, education, and outreach activities.

“It’s a well-earned milestone and major achievement,” said Dennis Newell, Water, Earth, and Environmental Sciences department head. “It represents the tremendous impact that Dr. Shreedharan has already made at USU as a researcher, teacher, and mentor.”

Shreedharan will be presented with the honor at the American Geophysical Union’s annual meeting, which draws more than 25,000 scientists in the field from around the world.

“I'm grateful for this recognition and understand that it belongs to more people than just me. I've been fortunate to have mentors, collaborators, and students who invested in me and my vision, and I hope to give back to my students at USU the same opportunities and mentorship I've been given,” Shreedharan said.

The award highlights the growing impact of Shreedharan’s work in earthquake mechanics, building on his experience at the University of Texas at Austin’s Institute for Geophysics, where he was a postdoctoral researcher.

Shreedharan’s current work focuses on deciphering fundamental earthquake mechanics and translating fault-zone data into improved hazard assessments. He sailed as a scientist aboard an international deep-sea expedition on the research vessel D/V Chikyu, co-authoring a landmark study published in the journal Science that revealed how a hidden layer of clay acted as a lubricant to amplify Japan's devastating 2011 Tohoku megathrust earthquake and tsunami.

His research into rock mechanics and fault re-strengthening processes provides key insights applicable to fault systems worldwide, including earthquake-prone regions like Utah’s Wasatch Fault.

Shreedharan directs the Rock Deformation and Earthquake Mechanics Laboratory at USU, a one-of-a-kind geomechanics facility in the Intermountain region and one of only a handful of facilities worldwide that can create realistic earthquakes on faults up to a meter long.

Research in the lab focuses on the mechanics of faulting, friction, and rock deformation to decipher how earthquakes trigger and unfold. Another of Shreedharan’s major pursuits is integrating machine learning with lab data to analyze acoustic emissions and investigate the timing and shear stress associated with laboratory-generated earthquakes.