Interview with Dr. Nitin Sharma, Senior Scientist, CSIR-NGRI, Hyderabad, India.
1. Could you share a bit about yourself and your career?
My Name is Nitin Sharma. I am an Indian citizen. I am working as Senior Scientist at CSIR-NGRI, Hyderabad, India. My research interests are in understanding of induced seismicity and hazard in Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), physics of the earthquake rupture process, earthquake early warning systems and seismic hazard assessment in Himalayan region. I was born and brought-up in city of Karnal situated in state of Haryana, India. I have done my Masters from Department of Applied Geophysics from Kurukshetra University, India. I have done my Bachelors in Electronics (major) from Government College Karnal, Haryana, affiliated to Kurukshetra University, India. I got selected as only international student during PhD cycle XXV (Seismic Risk), in Department of Physics, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Napoli, Italy. I continued there with my Postdoc from Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), Italy. Therefore, I spent around 5 years in Italy/Europe. This exposure allowed me to experience beautiful European culture and overwhelming life experience which I always cherish.
During my PhD, I was involved in research related to seismic hazard studies, particularly in understanding characteristics of strong ground motions from microseismicity (M<4.0) induced by fluid injection in enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) and gas sequestration projects. I was involved in European Union funded project like GEISER (“Geothermal Engineering Integration Mitigation of Induced Seismicity in Reservoirs”) which yield pioneer research on seismic hazard assessment from induced earthquakes for Geysers and five other geothermal areas (e.g. Basel, St. Gallen, Geysers, Hengill, Roswinkel, Voerendaal, and Soultz) which is acknowledged worldwide. These models are crucial for assessing seismic hazard due to anthropogenic activities.
I also participated in developing time-dependent seismic hazard assessment through real-time monitoring of microseismicity. The project involved several European research institutions as well as industry and was funded by the European Commission within FP7. During my postdoc, I developed GMPEs for South Korea’s seismic hazard studies as part of an early warning system project with the Korea Institute of Geo-sciences and Mineral Resources (KIGAM). In collaboration with Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and Department of Physics, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Napoli, Italy, I also got an opportunity to participate in study to understand the seismic impact of gas injection in Spain’s Castor region, identifying fault reactivation risks and the potential for larger seismic events. This research received media attention across the Europe:
- https://www.elmundo.es/comunidad-valenciana/castellon/2017/06/20/59491e9ae2704ef0708b45f9.html
- https://www.lavanguardia.com/local/valencia/20170620/423535186574/hubo-sismicidad-inducida-en-el-proyecto-castorsegun-investigadores-de-la-upm.html
I spent almost five years in research in Italy where working with Prof. Aldo Zollo (supervisor) and Prof. Vincenzo Convertito (co-supervisor) shaped my profession/career as a researcher.
2. What was the goal and results of your work in the project?
Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) are a way to produce clean energy by using Earth’s heat. To achieve this, water is injected into existing reservoirs which are already receiving heat. This water increases pressure and creates small cracks in the rock, allowing heat to transfer back to the surface through the boiling water or steam, which is then used to generate electricity. However, this injection process sometimes cause small earthquakes, which is popularly knows as induced seismicity. Most of these earthquakes are very small and not felt by people, but in some cases, they can be large enough to be noticed or cause damage. In-order to understand the cause and characteristics of earthquake generally seismic network is set up to monitor the seismic activity. During the PhD and post-doc, we developed ground motion models to understand the characteristics of strong ground motions, quantification of related uncertainties and assessment of time-dependent seismic hazard imposed by induced earthquakes due to anthropogenic activities (including gas sequestration).
3. Beyond your research, did the project bring other benefits to your career, such as networking, conferences, or new opportunities?
Apart from regular research, Yes, I enjoyed opportunity of attending and presenting my research ideas during many international and national conferences. Interaction sessions with many young and experience researchers allowed me to shared my knowledge and gain insights about other disciplines across the subject of earth sciences. The interactive conferences improved my networking which inculcated in various collaborative research and publications.