Dr. Nafi Toksöz

Professor and Robert R. Shrock Endowed Chair Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Prof. M. Nafi Toksöz is Robert R. Shrock Professor of Geophysics, Founder of the Earth Resources Laboratory and its Director from 1982 to 1998, and Director of the George R. Wallace, Jr. Geophysical Observatory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received his geophysical engineering degree at Colorado School of Mines and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, in geophysics, at the California Institute of Technology. He has been a faculty member in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, M.I.T., since 1965.

Prof. Toksöz has made major scientific contributions in many areas of geophysics, including seismic exploration, plate tectonics, planetary interiors, earthquake seismology, and imaging. He is the 2006 recipient of the Harry Fielding Reid Medal of the Seismological Society of America. He has received the scientific achievement medals from NASA, his alma mater, the Colorado School of Mines, and other institutions. In November 1999, SEG honored M. N. Toksöz with Honorary Membership. He is a member of the American Geophysical Union, Seismological Society of America, Society of Exploration Geophysicists, Geological Society of America, AAPG, and AAAS.

Prof. Toksöz is the author or co-author of more than 300 technical papers in geophysics, including many articles on geophysics and seismology. He has edited books and served on editorial boards of scientific journals. M. N. Toksöz has and continues to serve on scientific advisory and review committees for U.S. government agencies, universities, international organizations, and industry. His academic activities include teaching, leading several research projects, and advising a number of graduate students.

His ability to discern solutions to complex problems and communicate his insights clearly and thoughtfully have made him a sought after speaker, consultant, and commentator in academia, industry, and the media.