Alexis K. Ault

College of Science 

Geosciences

Dr. Alexis Ault is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geosciences at Utah State University (USU). After receiving her BA in Geology and Political Science at Wellesley College, she earned her MSc at University of New Mexico and PhD at the University of Colorado Boulder, followed by a National Science Foundation (NSF) Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Arizona. She is the recipient of a NSF CAREER award, USU’s College of Science Researcher of the Year, and the Early Career Award from the International Standing Committee of Thermochronology, and recently was selected as a Kavli Fellow by the National Academy Sciences. Alexis’ research leverages earthquake geology and thermochronology to understand the spectrum of fault slip behavior and how Earth materials deform during the earthquake cycle. Her new research pairs textural and thermochemical observations of fault rocks down to the atomic scale with deformation experiments to document if and how earthquake energy is dissipated in shallow fault rocks. This research provides a bridge to geophysical observations of near surface deformation and has direct societal implications for seismic hazard assessment. Alexis, together with her group, is committed to expanding access to science within and beyond USU.