Greetings from the Chair

Please allow me to introduce myself. I am David Jackson, Professor of Geophysics and Chair of the Earth and Space Sciences (ESS) Department. It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Department's web site. The site will tell you all you need to know and more about the Department - it's degree programs, courses, faculty, staff, facilities and activities. We welcome your comments and inquiries, particularly if this site has not provided you with the information you sought. The ESS Department encompasses a broad range of scientific disciplines - geology, geophysics, planetary physics, space physics, geochemistry, cosmochemistry, and paleontology. The extraordinary breadth of the Department reflects the interdisciplinary approaches required to understand complex systems like the Earth and the planets. We have 45 faculty, 6 researchers, 28 staff members, 56 graduate students, and 66 undergraduate students distributed among the above disciplines. We offer degrees in Geology, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geophysics and Space Physics, and Earth Sciences.

The ESS Department is at the forefront of research on problems ranging from the structure and dynamics of the Earth's deep interior to the tectonic processes that shape the Earth's surface to the exploration of the planets and satellites of the outer solar system

We are home to the W.M. Keck Foundation Center for Isotope Geochemistry and partners in the NASA Center for Astrobiology and the NSF Southern California Earthquake Center. Out faculty are PIs on experiments carried by NASA spacecraft to explore the magnetic fields, plasmas, atmospheres and solid bodies of the solar system. We explore the heights and depths of our own planet to learn about Earth's past and present climate and tectonics. We have close ties to related departments and institutes at UCLA and nearby institutions such as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). We value teaching and have rewarding opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students. Our location in Southern California with ample sun and access to the ocean, mountains, deserts, and cultural and entertainment centers adds to the academic excellence of ESS and UCLA.

David Jackson
Professor and Chair