PhD - Geoscience
Princeton - 2013

MS - Geophysics
Peking University - 2008

BS - Geology
Sun-Yat sen University - 2005

Seismic evidence for subduction-induced mantle flows underneath Middle America 2020 - Journal Article

Elastic Least-Squares Imaging in Tilted Transversely Isotropic Media for Multicomponent Land and Pressure Marine Data 2020 - Journal Article

Estimating P Wave Velocity and Attenuation Structures Using Full Waveform Inversion Based on a Time Domain Complex‐Valued Viscoacoustic Wave Equation: The Method 2020 - Journal Article

Poloidal‐ and toroidal‐mode mantle flows underneath the Cascadia Subduction Zone 2020 - Journal Article

Time‐Lapse Imaging of Coseismic Ruptures for the 2019 Ridgecrest Earthquakes Using Multiazimuth Backprojection With Regional Seismic Data and a 3‐D Crustal Velocity Model 2020 - Journal Article

Seismic Structure of the Antarctic Upper Mantle Imaged with Adjoint Tomography 2020 - Journal Article

Azimuthal Anisotropy of the North American Upper Mantle Based on Full Waveform Inversion 2020 - Journal Article

Surface-offset gathers from elastic reverse time migration and velocity analysis 2020 - Journal Article

Elastic least-squares reverse time migration in vertical transverse isotropic media 2019 - Journal Article

Viscoacoustic least-squares reverse time migration using a time-domain complex-valued wave equation 2019 - Journal Article

Associate Professor
The University of Texas at Dallas [2021–Present]

Assistant Professor
The University of Texas at Dallas [2015–2021]

Jackson School Distinguished Postdoctoral fellow
The University of Texas at Austin [2013–2015]

NSF CAREER - National Science Foundation [2021]

J. Clarence Karcher Award - Society of Explorational Geophysicists [2019]

Editors’ Citation for Excellence in Refereeing– Geophysical Research Letters - American Geophysical Union [2019]

Jackson School Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship - The University of Texas at Austin [2013]

Professor, Students Win Honors from Society of Exploration Geophysicists

Dr. Hejun Zhu, assistant professor of geosciences, is one of two early career scientists who received the J. Clarence Karcher Award from the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) at the organization’s annual meeting in September.

Dr. Robert Stewart (left), president of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, presents the J. Clarence Karcher Award to Dr. Hejun Zhu, assistant professor of geosciences at UT Dallas.The award recognizes significant contributions to the science and technology of exploration geophysics by individuals younger than 35.

In addition, two geosciences doctoral students, Jaewook Lee and Jidong Yang, were awarded the Anadarko/SEG Scholarship, with each receiving $10,000. In addition, doctoral student Mengli Zhang was one of 22 recipients of the Earl D. and Reba C. Griffin Memorial Scholarship.

Geoscientists Create Deeper Look at Processes Below Earth’s Surface with 3D Images

Geoscientists at The University of Texas at Dallas recently used massive amounts of earthquake data and supercomputers to generate high-resolution, 3D images of the dynamic geological processes taking place far below the Earth’s surface.

In a study published April 29 in Nature Communications, the UT Dallas research team described how it created images of mantle flows in a subduction region under Central America and the Caribbean Sea using a computationally intensive technique called a full waveform inversion (FWI).

“This is the first comprehensive seismic study to directly image 3D mantle flow fields in actual subduction environments using advanced FWI technology,” said Dr. Hejun Zhu, corresponding author of the study and assistant professor of geosciences in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Dr. Jidong Yang, who earned his PhD in geosciences from UT Dallas in May, and Dr. Robert Stern, professor of geosciences, are the study’s co-authors.

Dr. Hejun Zhu Receives Over $500,000 From NSF

Dr. Hejun Zhu received $536,729 from the the National Science Foundation for his research on Developing a Multi-Parameter Seismic Model of North America. Dr. Zhu and his team are developing a multi-parameter seismic model that uses state-of-the-art full waveform inversion technology and high-quality waveform records that will help geophysicists to better investigate physical properties of the Earth. This study may allow scientists to infer distributions of temperature, water content, and deformation.