Viven Sharma

I am a PhD candidate in Geophysics at the University of Minnesota (defending January 2025), where my research focuses on the state of stresses in subduction forearcs and the development of computational frameworks for seismic hazard assessment. My expertise spans geomechanics, geodynamics, exploration geophysics, and physics-informed machine learning, with strong technical skills in PyLith, ASPECT, PyTorch, Julia, and advanced numerical modeling.

I have published across domains ranging from earthquake mechanics to applied machine learning, including work on hybrid Fourier Neural Operator solvers, zero-shot seismic image denoising, and reproducible AI-assisted geodynamic workflows. My contributions have been recognized with the Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, Fisher Fellowship, and Zoltai Fellowship at the University of Minnesota.

Beyond research, I am committed to open science, reproducibility, and interdisciplinary collaboration, with experience leading data science initiatives and contributing to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. My long-term goal is to advance intelligent, physics-aware simulation platforms that bridge scientific innovation with actionable hazard and risk assessment for society.

I am a PhD candidate in Geophysics at the University of Minnesota (defense January 2025) with expertise in geomechanics, geodynamics, and physics‑informed machine learning. My research focuses on stress states in subduction forearcs, advanced numerical modeling, and AI‑assisted simulation workflows.

Graduate Research Student, University of Minnesota (2021–Present): Developed finite element models to investigate forearc stress variability, integrated focal mechanism inversion with geodynamic simulations, and advanced reproducible computational workflows.

Research Assistant, BITS Pilani (2018–2020): Worked on mechanical engineering projects involving reliability analysis and performance assessment of energy systems, including building envelopes enhanced with phase change materials.

Research Analyst, Industrial Metal Components, Jodhpur (2017–2018): Conducted reliability‑centered maintenance analysis for CNC lathe machine components, contributing to published work on fuzzy ANP‑based criticality analysis.

PhD in Geophysics (in progress, defense Jan 2025) University of Minnesota, Twin Cities — GPA: 3.9/4.0 
Research focus: State of stresses in subduction forearcs, combining finite element modeling, focal mechanism inversion, and physics‑informed machine learning. Advisor: Dr. Ikuko Wada.

Bachelor of Engineering (Hons.), Manufacturing Engineering (2013–2017) Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani — GPA: 6.7/10.0 
Undergraduate research in mechanical reliability and energy systems. Advisor: Dr. Rajesh P. Mishra.