Albert Tarantola - Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris

Curriculum Vitæ (short version)
Albert Tarantola
Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Université de Paris 6
4, place Jussieu; 75005 Paris; France
Phone: +33 1 48 04 73 91 ; E-mail: [email protected]
Web page: http://www.ipgp.jussieu.fr/~tarantola
Born: June 15, 1949, Barcelona, Spain. Nationality: Spanish and Italian
University Degrees:
- Docteur de Spécialité, Université de Paris 6, December 1976.
- Docteur d'État, Université de Paris 6, June 1981.
- Doctor Honoris Causa, University of Copenhagen, November 2004.
Honors and Awards:
- Prize Antoine d'Abbadie of the French Academy of Sciences.
- Award Conrad Schlumberger of the European Association of Exploration Geophysics.
- Elected fellow of the American Geophysical Union.
- Silver Medal (Médaille d'Argent) of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.
Responsibilities:
Jan. 1987 - Dec. 1992: Chairman, Committee on Mathematical Geophysics,
International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics.
Jan. 1990 - Dec. 1992: Editor, Journal of Geophysical Research, American
Geophysical Union.
June 1991 - June 1996: Director of Graduate Studies at the Institut de Physique du
Globe de Paris (responsable du D.E.A. de Géophysique Interne).
Jan. 1993 - Dec. 1993: Member of the Editorial Board, Inverse Problems, Institute of
Physics.
Jan. 1994 - June 1996: Chairman of the Department of Geophysical Observatories
(including Volcanic, Magnetic and Seismic Observatories).
Jan. 1995 - June 2000: Member of the Editorial Board, Journal of Volcanology.
Research activity:
Geophysics: My work on the fundamentals of Inverse Theory, lead to the
publication of two papers in 1982 (J. Geophys. and Rev. Geophys. and Space Phys.) and to
the publication of a book in 1987, which are now well known. A new edition of the book
has been published in 2005 by the Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM).
A citation analysis conducted by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists showed
that one of my papers describing a methodology for interpretation of seismic data,
published in 1984, was the most cited of all papers published by Geophysics that year.
I am the head of a laboratory that develops methods for the inversion of different
sorts of geophysical data. We develop new theoretical concepts and use advanced
computer hardware (we purchased our own vector supercomputer as early as in 1986, and
currently use the massively parallel computer installed at IPG).
Theoretical Physics: I have attempted to reformulate physics using the notion of
measurable physical quality instead of the common notion of physical quantity. This forces
the use of a general notion of declinative to replace the common notion of derivative . The
equations of physics so obtained keep the same form whatever choice of physical
quantities is made to represent the physical qualities (for instance, the equations of
Thermodynamics are the same that we use the temperature, the inverse temperature, the
logarithm of the temperature, etc.). Some theories can not be recast into this form, like
the theory of finite deformation, or like Fourier's theory of heat conduction. I suggest that
these theories are not consistent, and I propose their reformulation. This work has
resulted in the publication this year (2006) of a book (Elements for Physics) at Springer.
Also, with Bartolomé Coll, from Observatoire de Paris, we are trying to propose a new
paradigm for properly running a GPS system, using fully relativistic concepts.
Inverse Problems in Geophysics: I wrote a book on this topic, that is widely used.
This gives me the opportunity of collaboration with many colleagues interested in the
different aspects of interpretation of geophysical data. My own interest is in understanding
the structure of our Planet, using mainly seismic waves. It is my feeling that seismology will
one day provide detailed images of the Earth's crust, incommensurable to the gross
pictures we obtain today. This will require new technology for data recording and new
methods of data interpretation that will, possibly, take a dozen of years to develop. Only
then we will understand how predictable earthquakes are. I have presently two projects
ongoing: 1) I am writing a book Probability and Measurements, and 2) I am trying, with my
colleague Klaus Mosegaard, from the University of Copenhagen, to set the basic definitions
and properties of the computational complexity attached to multidimensional sampling
problems.
Teaching:
Every year since 1978 I give a course in the University of Paris and one invited short
course abroad (the last short courses were at Stanford University (2004), Beijing University
(2005), and Bangalore (2006)).
Director of the 50-th session of the Les Houches Summer School on Theoretical
Physics (NATO Advanced Study Institute).
Director of graduate studies at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris
(responsable du D.E.A. de Géophysique Interne) (1991-1996).
Publications and Communications:
Three books published, one other book in preparation, editor of one book, chapters
in ten books.
Some tens of articles in refereed journals.
Some tens of invited conferences at international scientific meetings.
Employment:
1979-1981: Assistant, Université de Paris 6.
1981-1983: Maitre-Assistant, Université de Paris 6.
Paris.
Paris.
1983-1989: Physicien du Globe (deuxième classe), Institut de Physique du Globe de
1989-1991: Physicien du Globe (première classe), Institut de Physique du Globe de
1991-present: Physicien du Globe (classe exceptionnelle), Institut de Physique du
Globe de Paris. (This is equivalent to full professor (with tenure) in the U.S.).