Faculty

Bradford Foley

Email: bjf5382@psu.edu
Phone: 814-863-3591
Office Address: 307 Deike Buiding
Title: Assistant Professor
Unit: Department of Geosciences
Webpage: https://www.ems.psu.edu/directory/bradford-foley

Research Interests:

• Mantle dynamics
• Plate tectonics
• Evolution of terrestrial planets
• Climate-tectonic interactions

Research:

I am a mantle dynamicist interested in the evolution of the Earth and other rocky planets. One main focus area of my research is on what causes plate tectonics on Earth, when and how it started, and how likely it is to exist on other planets. Another major focus area is how climate and mantle convection interact, and how these interactions shape planetary evolution and influence a planet’s prospects for habitability. I primarily use a range of theoretical models in my work, including global scale numerical models of mantle convection, regional scale models of lithospheric deformation and shear zone formation, and systems level models of planetary evolution.