Summary
I’m a rock physicist with a passion for unravelling the mechanics of brittle deformation in Earth’s crust and beyond. I’ve built my career at the intersection of fundamental science and real-world challenges – from mitigating geohazards to enabling carbon storage, geothermal energy, and sustainable subsurface usage – bridging the gap between laboratory experiments, multi-scale modelling, and field applications to help everyone navigate the complexities of subsurface systems under stress. I lead the Engineering Geology Laboratories in a team delivering innovation and research that contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Beyond the lab, I’m deeply committed to collaboration and outreach, shaping community-wide practices (like FAIR data practices and Transnational Access to research facilities) and fostering partnerships that turn scientific insights into actionable solutions. I’m driven by the translation of scientific insights into actionable solutions for responsible and resilient interactions with the Earth’s subsurface.
Audrey Ougier-Simonin’s Biography
Employment:
-
- 2015 to present: Rock Physicist, British Geological Survey, UK
- 2013 to 2014: Postdoctoral researcher, ISTerre, Université Joseph Fourier – Grenoble Alpes, France
- 2011 to 2013: Postdoctoral associate researcher, Dpt of Geology, University of Maryland – College Park, USA
Education:
-
- 2007 to 2010: Ph.D. in Geophysics, Université Denis Diderot – ENS Paris, France
Mechanical and transport properties of cracked glasses - 2005 to 2007: M.Sc. in Earth, Planetary and Environmental Sciences, Université Denis Diderot, Paris, France
- 2001 to 2005: B.Sc. in Geology, Université Joseph Fourier – Grenoble Alpes, France
- 2007 to 2010: Ph.D. in Geophysics, Université Denis Diderot – ENS Paris, France
Current projects and collaborations
- Project: CSA-GSEU – A Geological Service for Europe
- Project: H2020 ConsenCUS – Carbon neutral clusters by electricity-based innovations in Capture, Utilisation and Storage
- Project: H2020 StoRIES – Storage Research Infrastructure Eco-System
- Project: PhD supervision Jinci Chen (co-hosted with Heriot-Watt University) – From geo-resources to energy storage: how do underground lithologies respond to thermo-mechanical coupling?
- Project: PhD supervision Amanda Norman (University of Leeds) – Thermal loading on mudstones
- Project: PhD supervision Bob Bamberg (University of Leicester) – The physical and mechanical properties of natural fault zones in basaltic rocks
- Collaboration: ECCSEL ERIC – The World’s largest CCUS Research Infrastructure
- Collaboration: EPOS ERIC – EPOS Multi-Scale Labs data catalogue
ORCID: 0000-0001-9778-4910
Key papers
- Ougier-Simonin, A, Tucker, O, Bump, A, Gasda, S E, Otterlei, R E, Lemgruber-Traby, A, Mackay, E, Ricard, L P, Herrmann, F, and Imhof, M. 2026. The pressure balancing act in geological storage: sharing the subsurface for the common good. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, Vol. 151.
- Bamberg B, Reichow M K, Walker R J, and Ougier‐Simonin A. 2023. Petrological evolution and mass redistribution in basaltic fault zones: An example from the Faroe Islands, North Atlantic Igneous Province. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, Vol. 24(12)
- Vannucchi P, Clarke A, de Montserrat A, Ougier-Simonin A, Aldega L, and Morgan J P. 2022. A strength inversion origin for non-volcanic tremor. Nature Communications, Vol. 13(1)
- Forbes Inskip, N, and Ougier-Simonin, A. 2022. Thermo-mechanical behaviour of rock salt in the context of gas storage: a review. Zenodo
- Elger K, ter Maat G, Caldeira R, Cimarelli C, Corbi F, Dominguez S, Drury M, Funiciello F, Lange O, Ougier-Simonin A, and Rosenau M. 2022. The EPOS multi-scale laboratories: a FAIR framework for stimulating Open Science practice across European earth sciences laboratories. Annals of Geophysics, 65(3)
- Martin-Clave, C, Ougier-Simonin, A, and Vandeginste, V. 2021. Impact of second phase content on rock salt rheological behavior under cyclic mechanical conditions. Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, Vol. 54(10), 5245–5267
- Pluymakers, A, Ougier-Simonin, A, and Barnhoorn, A. 2021. Ion-species in pore fluids with opposite effects on limestone fracturing. Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment, 26, p.100233
NERC Open Research Archive – Audrey Ougier-Simonin
- Experimental geophysics specialist
- Fracture and fault mechanics
- Petrophysical and transport property analysis
- Multiscale modelling and interpretation
- Leadership in laboratory operations
- Multidisciplinary collaboration
- FAIR data
- Research infrastructure management
- Project management and leadership
- People management and leadership
- English (fluent), French (fluent), Spanish (intermediate)
- EAGE, EGU
- EGU YSOPP 2010 Award