William L. Ellsworth is a professor in the Department of Geophysics at Stanford University His research focuses on the seismological study of active faults, the earthquakes they generate and the physics of the earthquake source. A major objective of his work is to improve our knowledge of earthquake hazards through the application of physics-based understanding of the underlying processes, and the transfer of scientific understanding of the hazard to people, businesses, policymakers and government agencies. As Co-Director of the Stanford Center for Induced and Triggered Seismicity (SCITS) he leads multi-disciplinary studies into the causes and consequences of anthropogenic earthquakes in a wide variety of settings. Before coming to Stanford in 2015 he spent over 40 years as a research geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey where he served as Chief of the Branch of Seismology and Chief Scientist of the Earthquake Hazards Team. He received a B.S. in Physics and a M.S. in Geophysics from Stanford University and his Ph.D. in Geophysics from MIT. He is a past President of the Seismological Society of America, a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, and recipient of the Distinguished Service Award of the Department of the Interior.

SCEC Participation

SCEC Mentor (2011)
SCEC Board of Directors, Liaison Member (2003 - 2008)