Maureen D. Long

Maureen D. Long is an observational seismologist studying mantle and Mesosphere dynamics. She currently serves as a professor at Yale University within the Department of Geology and Geophysics.

Early life and education

Long began her love of science in the eight grade while enrolled in an Earth science course, giving her an initial look into plate tectonics. She continued her education at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, receiving her bachelor's degree in 2000, graduating summa cum laude. In June 2006, Long earned her doctorate in geophysics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her thesis was on anisotropy and deformation of the Earth's mantle.

Long began her research within environmental science while still a student at RPI, serving as an undergraduate research assistant from 1998 to 2000. After that, she was a graduate research and teaching assistant at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She then became a postdoctoral associate before becoming a visiting investigator within the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institution for Science. She spent three years there while transitioning back into education as a professor within the Department of Geology and Geophysics at Yale University. Long continues to teach at Yale University while at the same time maintaining a strong continuation of personal research.
Long's focuses of research include observational seismology and mantle dynamics; imaging of seismic anisotropy, subduction zone dynamics and processes; subduction and the mantle flow field, structure and dynamics of the lowermost mantle and the core-mantle boundary region, and structure, evolution, and deformation of the continental lithosphere.