Dr. Simone Pilia's academic career has spanned Italy, Australia, the UK, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. At the University of Cambridge, he held a Marie Sk艂odowska-Curie Fellowship and a NERC Independent Research Fellowship. He subsequently held Assistant Professor positions at the University of Milano-Bicocca and KFUPM before joining Khalifa University in 2026.
His research integrates geology, seismology and numerical geodynamic modelling to investigate the structure, evolution and dynamics of the solid Earth across a broad range of spatial scales. His work spans from the core-mantle boundary and deep mantle to the lithosphere, crust and surface, with particular interests in mantle dynamics, lithosphere-mantle interactions, tectonic processes, crustal deformation and earthquakes. Seismic tomography and other seismological methods are used to image Earth structure, while numerical geodynamic simulations help him explore the physical processes responsible for the observed patterns. His research also extends to the links between deep-Earth processes and surface evolution.
