Cheng Mei

Dr. Cheng Mei is the Lamont–Brinson Postdoctoral Fellow at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University. Previously, he was a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University and Northwestern University. He earned his Ph.D. from Nanyang Technological University. His research focuses on geophysics and geomechanics, with an emphasis on earthquakes, induced seismicity, geothermal energy, landslides, underground excavation, and rock-fluid interactions. His work integrates theoretical analysis, numerical modeling, and laboratory experiments to address fundamental and applied problems in the Earth system.

Fields of Interest

Geophysics and geomechanics, including earthquakes, induced seismicity, rock mechanics, and fluid mechanics.

Education

  • 01/2026 - present,  Lamont-Brinson Postdoc Fellow, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University
  • 01/2024 - 01/2026, Postdoctoral scholar, Stanford University
  • 06/2022 - 01/2024, Postdoctoral scholar, Northwestern University
  • 08/2017 - 04/2022, Ph.D., Nanyang Technological University
  • Mei, C., Aguilar, A.L., and Segall, P. (2026). Modeling of Injection-Induced Seismicity on Rough Faults in Porous Media. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 681, 119932. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2026.119932
  • Rudnicki, J. and Mei, C. (2025). Homogeneous and Membrane Pore Fluid Diffusion in Spring Block Simulations of Fault Slip with Rate and State Friction. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, e2025JB032174. https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JB032174
  • Mei, C. (2025). Slip instability of dilatant and fluid-saturated faults, Tectonophysics, 895, 230598. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2024.230598
  • Mei, C. and Wang, L. (2024). Velocity Dependence of Rate-and-State Friction in Granular Fault Gouge and Implications for Slow-Slip Events. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 129(7), e2024JB029393. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JB029393
  • Mei, C., Mercuri, M., and Rudnicki, J. W. (2024). Rock Friction Experiments and Modeling under Hydrothermal Conditions. Earth-Science Reviews, 104824. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2024.104824
  • Mei, C. and Rudnicki, J. W. (2023). Microphysical modeling of fault slip and stability transition in hydrothermal conditions. Geophysical Research Letters, 50(13), e2023GL103730. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL103730
  • Wang, L., Zhu, Y., and Mei, C. (2023). Numerical modeling of cracking behaviors for the rock-inclusion composite under dynamic tensile loading. Computers and Geotechnics, 157, 105325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2023.105325
  • Mei, C., Barbot, S., Jia, Y., and Wu, W. (2022). Experimental evidence for multiple controls on fault stability and rupture dynamics. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 577, 117252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2021.117252
  • Mei, C., Fang, Z., and Wu, W. (2022). Slip transition of rock fractures due to chemical corrosion. Engineering Geology, 308, 106801. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2022.106801
  • Mei, C., Barbot, S., and Wu, W. (2021). Period‐multiplying cycles at the transition between stick‐slip and stable sliding and implications for the Parkfield period‐doubling tremors. Geophysical Research Letters, 48(7), e2020GL091807. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL091807
  • Mei, C. and Wu, W. (2021). Fracture asperity evolution during the transition from stick slip to stable sliding. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, 379(2196), 20200133. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2020.0133