Victor is a 4th-year PhD candidate who uses numerical modelling to study both natural and human-triggered earthquakes. His research into earthquakes triggered by geological carbon storage, a way to tackle climate change, is part of Caltech's Centre for Geomechanics and Mitigation of Geohazards and is conducted in collaboration with SLB, a global energy company. Outside of research, he is an avid rock climber and the RA of Ricketts House, one of Caltech's undergraduate houses. Victor enjoys teaching people about earthquakes; in his spare time, he contributes to EarthquakeSim, an educational YouTube channel with over 150,000 subscribers.
This research investigates earthquake risks associated with underground carbon dioxide storage. By studying seismic activity at the Decatur CO2 storage project, the work improves predictive geological models that account for hidden subsurface structures. The findings aim to make large-scale carbon storage safer, protecting both the climate and nearby communities.
Victor's research investigates dynamic weakening, a process that can allow small earthquakes to grow into devastating megaquakes. Using supercomputer simulations of the San Andreas Fault, the study explores how stress, fluids, friction, and neighboring fault activity may trigger unexpectedly large earthquakes, improving seismic hazard prediction and understanding of earthquake behavior.