
Indiana University Bloomington
Brings energy and passion to every lesson.
Michael W. Hamburger is Professor Emeritus of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington, where he has served on the faculty since 1986 in the geoscience discipline. He earned a B.A. in environmental sciences and Russian studies from Wesleyan University in 1975, an M.S. in geophysics from Cornell University in 1982, and a Ph.D. in geophysics from Cornell University in 1986. Throughout his career, he held significant administrative roles, including interim chair of the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and a four-year term as associate dean of the faculties (later vice provost for faculty and academic affairs), during which he led a campus-wide sustainability initiative. He currently co-chairs the Campus Sustainability Advisory Board. Hamburger served as a Jefferson Science Fellow with the U.S. Department of State, sat on the Steering Committee of the UNAVCO GPS Consortium, and acted as associate editor for the Journal of Geophysical Research. He is a leader of Concerned Scientists @ Indiana University and has contributed to science outreach through programs like the IU PEPP Earthquake Science Program and the Educating for Environmental Change initiative.
Hamburger's research specializes in seismotectonics, dynamics of earthquake and volcanic processes, and applications of satellite geodetic measurements to geodynamic problems. His field projects include analysis of earthquake distribution and deformation in the Philippine subduction zone and near Taal volcano, crustal deformation studies using GPS in the Long Valley Caldera region of California, and seismicity investigations in the Wabash Valley seismic zone of the central U.S. midcontinent. Key publications include "Diffuse back-arc deformation in the southwestern Pacific" (Nature, 1988, with B.L. Isacks), "A seismotectonic model for the 300-kilometer-long eastern California shear zone" (Science, 1994), and contributions to USGS reports on GPS measurements of crustal deformation in the Wabash Valley. He is an elected Fellow of the Geological Society of America and received the W. George Pinnell Award for Outstanding Service in 2014. His work bridges natural hazards research with policy, environmental challenges, and public education.
Professional Email: hamburg@iu.edu