Assistant Professor Geophysicist in Energy & Mineral Resources Applications: Subsurface Resources | Geologic Hydrogen | Carbon Storage Dr. Mengli Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geology at the University of Georgia. Her research focuses on developing and applying innovative geophysical methods to image subsurface energy and mineral systems, with particular emphasis on critical minerals, energy resources, geologic hydrogen, carbon storage, and efficient geophysical data acquisition. Dr. Zhang is a pioneer in the geophysical exploration of geologic hydrogen, with research spanning both natural hydrogen systems and stimulated hydrogen production. Her work integrates multiple geophysical methods, including magnetotellurics (MT), magnetics, gravity, induced polarization (IP), electromagnetics (EM), seismic methods, rock physics, and well logging, to characterize complex subsurface systems and reduce uncertainty in resource exploration. She is also the original developer of ergodic sampling, a new geophysical survey-design framework developed through her Ph.D. research at the Colorado School of Mines. Ergodic sampling is designed to maximize information content while substantially reducing data acquisition time and cost. Her broader methodological research includes compressive sensing, geophysical inversion, multiphysics integration, and machine learning. Dr. Zhang brings 10 years of industry experience and 8 years of academic research experience to her research program. Before entering academia, she worked as a geophysicist and regional chief geophysicist in the energy industry, where she led and contributed to exploration and development projects and helped determine the locations of more than 500 wells. This industry background continues to shape her research philosophy: developing geophysical innovations that address real-world challenges in energy and mineral sectors. Her research has attracted competitive funding from federal agencies, industry consortia, and foundations. She has led multidisciplinary projects in collaboration with government agencies, national laboratories, universities, and energy and mining companies. Her current research seeks to advance the understanding and responsible development of subsurface energy and mineral resources through innovative geophysical imaging, efficient data acquisition, and integration of geological, geophysical, and rock-physics information. Dr. Zhang is committed to bridging fundamental research, technological innovation, and real-world applications while training the next generation of geoscientists to address emerging challenges in energy and critical mineral resources. Education Education: PhD in Geophysics, Colorado School of Mines MS in Geosciences, The University of Texas at Dallas MS in Information and Communication System, Xi'an Jiaotong University BS in Information Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University Research Research Interests: My research focuses on developing and applying innovative geophysical methods to image subsurface energy and mineral systems, with particular emphasis on critical minerals, energy resources, geologic hydrogen, carbon storage, and efficient geophysical data acquisition. I am currently recruiting three fully funded Ph.D. students to join my research group at the University of Georgia. Full Research Assistant (RA) support will be provided. Research opportunities focus on developing and applying innovative geophysical methods for energy and mineral resource exploration, including geologic hydrogen and critical minerals. Students will have opportunities to work on applied research projects in collaboration with energy and mining companies, national laboratories, government agencies, and other organizations involved in emerging subsurface energy and resource applications. These collaborations will provide students with valuable experience in solving real-world subsurface challenges, building professional networks, and developing potential career pathways.
