Dr. Asiye Aziz Zanjani

I'm a seismologist at the New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources. My research combines observational seismology, computational geophysics, and machine learning to investigate Earth structure, earthquake processes, tectonic deformation, and anthropogenic contributions to seismicity.

I use a range of established seismological tools, but I also develop my own codes for seismic data processing and visualization. My open-source Pick Aggregator is an ensemble machin learning (ML) workflow designed to produce high-precision earthquake catalogs by improving the generalization of ML pickers to out-of-distribution data (data different from training sets), particularly using hybrid (ocean+land stations) and irregular seismic networks. I'm currently applying this to develop an ensemble ML catalog for southeast New Mexico, a region hosting induced seismicity from deep wastewater injection.

I'm also developing a high-resolution shear-wave velocity model using ambient noise tomography from a dense 2-D nodal array across southeast New Mexico. These two projects are complementary, aimed at better understanding reactivated faults, the depth of seismicity, and its spatiotemporal correlation with injection data and surface deformation.

Ph.D. in Geophysics, Saint Louis University (2014–2019)

Dissertation: "Crustal Structure beneath the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone from Dense Seismic Arrays: Implications for Failed Continental Rifts and Intraplate Seismicity”.

M.Sc. in Geophysics, Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (2009–2012)

Thesis: "New Insights into the Seismotectonics of Northwest Iran Using the IASBS Temporary Local Seismic Network”.

B.Sc. in Geology, University of Tehran (2004–2008)

Research Scientist, New Mexico Tech Seismological Observatory (Aug. 2025–Present)

• Developing a high-resolution ensemble machine learning catalog for induced seismicity in southeast New Mexico.
• Shallow subsurface imaging using ambient noise tomography and 2-D dense seismic arrays in southeastern New Mexico to develop a high-resolution shear wave velocity model.
• Establishing collaborative research projects through competitive proposals (NSF and New Mexico EPSCoR Seed Grant).

Postdoctoral Researcher, Southern Methodist University (Feb. 2022–Aug. 2025)

• Developed novel Pick Aggregator module to build ensemble machine learning catalogs, applied to offshore seismic swarms north of Puerto Rico-Virgin Islands recorded by ocean bottom seismometers and land stations (in review).
• Integrated spatiotemporal analysis of induced seismicity in the Delaware Basin, incorporating seismicity patterns from relocated catalog, InSAR surface deformation, and fluid injection-extraction data (two publications)
• Helped secured competitive external TexNet funding and wrote proposals for internal fundings.

Postdoctoral Researcher, Saint Louis University (Aug. 2019–June 2021)

• Developed calibrated earthquake locations and focal mechanisms for Puerto Rico Subduction Zone using ocean bottom and land seismometers.
• Secured USGS Cooperative Funds for seismic hazard studies in Puerto Rico.

Graduate Research Assistant, Saint Louis University (Aug. 2014–Aug. 2019)

• Developed high-resolution 2-D velocity model of the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone using joint inversion of receiver functions and surface wave dispersion (NSF project) (published).
• Developed 3-D ambient noise tomography models of the Illinois Basin (published).
• Developed source-attenuation models using stochastic modeling of ground motion in the Chilean Subduction Zone (published).

Graduate Research Fellow, Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (Aug. 2009–Mar. 2013)

• Investigated seismotectonics of the Talesh Fold-and-Thrust Belt, western coast of South Caspian Basin by developing a local high-resolution earthquake catalog (published).
• Relocated aftershocks of two major mainshocks in northwest Iran (published).

Seismological Society of America

American Geophysical Union

Instructor of Record

Adjunct Lecturer, Southern Methodist University

• Earth Systems (Canvas-based, undergraduate, 72 students, Fall 2023).

Lecturer, University of Zanjan, Iran

• Introduction to Geophysics (undergraduate, 28 students, Fall 2012).

Teaching Assistant, Saint Louis University

• Sustainable Energy (undergraduate, Fall 2017 & 2018).
• Is Earth Unique? (undergraduate, Spring 2016).
• Earth's Dynamic Environment (undergraduate, Fall 2015 & 2016).

2026 Summer Intern: Nathan Wolski (Geology major from The University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana), EarthScope Consortium RESESS Program, ambient noise cross-correlation, surface wave dispersion picking, tomography, shear wave inversion, bash scripting and Linux command line, python programming, nodal deployment.

Manuscripts in Review

1. Aziz Zanjani, A. and H. R. DeShon. Pick Aggregator: A Multi-Model Ensemble of Machine Learning Pickers to Generate an Onshore-Offshore Seismic Catalog for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, Seismological Research Letters (2026) (revision submitted).

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

1. Aziz Zanjani, A. and R. B. Herrmann. Spatial dependence of high-frequency ground motion along the Chilean subduction zone from aftershock sequences of the Mw 8.8 Maule and Mw 8.2 Iquique earthquakes. AGU: Earth and Space Science (2026) (Accepted in July).

2. Aziz Zanjani, A., H. R. DeShon, V. Karanam, and A. Savvaidis (2025). Insights into spatiotemporal evolution of induced earthquakes in the Southern Delaware Basin using calibrated relocations from the TexNet catalog (2017-2022). AGU Earth and Space Science, 12(6). https://doi.org/10.1029/2024EA004027

3. Aziz Zanjani, A., H. R. DeShon, V. Karanam, and A. Savvaidis (2024). Insights into temporal evolution of induced earthquakes in the Southern Delaware Basin using calibrated relocations from the TXAR catalog (2009-2016). The Seismic Record, 4(2), 140–150. https://doi.org/10.1785/0320240011

4. Herrmann, R. B., Ch. J. Ammon, H. M. Benz, A. Aziz Zanjani, and J. Boschelli (2021). Short-period surface-wave tomography in the continental United States—A resource for research. Seismological Research Letters, 92(6), 3642-3656. https://doi.org/10.1785/0220200462

5. Aziz Zanjani, A., L. Zhu, R. B. Herrmann, Y. Liu, and J. Conder (2019). Crustal structure beneath the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone from joint inversion of receiver functions and surface-wave dispersions and its implications for continental rifts and intraplate seismicity. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 124(7), 7028-7039. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JB016989

6. Ghods, A., E. Shabanian, E. Bergman, M. Faridi, S. Donner, Gh. Mortezanejad, A. Aziz Zanjani (2015). The Varzeghan-Ahar, Iran earthquake doublet (Mw 6.4, 6.2): Implications for the geodynamics of northwest Iran. Geophysical Journal International, 203(1), 522-540. https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggv306

7. Aziz Zanjani, A., A. Ghods, F. Sobouti, E. Bergman, Gh. Mortezanejad, K. Priestly, S. Madanipour, M. Rezaeian (2013). Seismicity in the western coast of the South Caspian Basin and the Talesh Mountains. Geophysical Journal International, 195(2), 799-814. https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggt299

8. Mortezanejad, Gh., A. Aziz Zanjani, A. Ghods, and F. Sobouti (2013). Insights into the crustal structure and the seismotectonics of the Talesh region using local and teleseismic data. Scientific Quarterly Journal of Geosciences, Geological Survey of Iran, 88(2), 38-47 (in Persian).

2025-2026 Presentations

1. Aziz Zanjani, A. and Heather R. DeShon (2026). Pick Aggregator: A Multi-Model Ensemble of Machine Learning Pickers to Detect Offshore Seismic Swarms North of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, SSA 2026 Annual Meeting, Pasadena, CA, oral.

2. Aziz Zanjani, A. and U. Basu (2026). A Comprehensive Machine Learning-Based Catalog for Effective Monitoring of Induced Seismicity in Southeastern New Mexico, SSA 2026 Annual Meeting, Pasadena, CA, oral.

3. Aziz Zanjani, A. and U. Basu (2026). Constraining Seismic Velocity Structure in Southeastern New Mexico Using Ambient Noise Tomography: Implications for Induced Seismicity Depth Determination, SSA 2026 Annual Meeting, Pasadena, CA, poster.

4. Aziz Zanjani, A., U. Basu, and A. Record (2025). Benchmarking Machine Learning Pickers and Pre-trained Models for Induced Seismicity in Southeastern New Mexico. ESSA 2025 Annual Meeting, Saint Louis, MO, poster.

5. Aziz Zanjani, A. and H. R. DeShon (2025). Seismic Catalog Development North of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands Using Machine Learning and Ocean Bottom Seismometers. ESSA 2025 Annual Meeting, Saint Louis, MO, oral.

6. Aziz Zanjani, A. and H. R. DeShon (2025). Seismotectonics of the Puerto Rico Subduction Zone: Leveraging Machine Learning Analysis of Ocean Bottom Seismometers. SSA 2025 Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD, oral.

Co-authored abstracts:

Wolski, N., A. Aziz Zanjani, and U. Basu, 2026. Characterizing Southeastern New Mexico’s Velocity Structure Using Ambient Noise Tomography, AGU 2026 Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, poster.

Asgarvand, O., A. Aziz Zanjani, and H.R. DeShon (2026). Machine learning-based high-resolution earthquake catalog for the Middle America Trench using ocean bottom and land seismometers, SSA 2026 Annual Meeting, Pasadena, CA, poster.

Asgarvand, O., Aziz Zanjani, A., and DeShon, H.R. (2025). Machine learning based earthquake catalog for the Middle American Subduction Zone, NSF GAGE/SAGE Community Science Workshop, Bloomington, MN, poster.