Governance
To remain a nimble and relevant organization, CIG relies on the expertise, vision, and guidance of the community utilizing a community-centric management structure. Goals and directions are determined through community input from topical Working Groups and suggestions coming from the scientific community. The Science Steering Committee (SSC) considers and recommends CIG activities, which are then considered and approved by an Executive Committee (EC). The collective charge of the SSC and EC is to identify and balance common needs across disciplines, balancing activities between ongoing support and development of established codes and infrastructure, responding to community needs for new codes and infrastructure, and supporting community development of the CIG community.
CIG Bylaws As approved 30 June 2018
Search the calendar to find a scheduled meeting and to access action minutes for past meetings.
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee (EC) is the primary decision-making body of CIG. The EC meets at least monthly by phone to discuss administration and organization activities. In conjunction with the Director, the EC oversees day-to-day operations through its regular meetings, teleconferences, and electronic mail. The EC approves the annual science plan, management plan, and budget; reviews priorities for software development with input from the electorate and the Science Steering Committee, and creates and appoints committees, such as the Nominating Committee, as needed. The EC has the authority to approve proposal submissions and contractual arrangements for CIG.
The EC has 7 members, of which 5 are voting members: the Chairperson, the Vice Chairperson, and three members at-large. These members are elected by representatives of member institutions for staggered three-year terms. The two ex officio members are the Director, and the Chairperson of the Science Steering Committee.
EC Responsibilities [pdf]
Current members of the EC and their term end dates are:
| Chair | Brad Aagaard | baagaard--at--usgs.gov | US Geological Survey | 2024 |
| Vice-Chair | Phaedra Upton | P.Upton--at--gns.cri.nz | GNS New Zealand | 2025 |
| Alice Gabriel | algabriel--at--ucsd.edu | University of California San Diego LMU Munich |
2026 | |
| Louis Moresi | Louis.Moresi--at--anu.edu.au | Australian National University | 2025 | |
| Marc Spiegelman | mspieg--at--ldeo.columbia.edu | Columbia University | 2024 | |
| Ex officio | Dave May | dmay--at--ucsd.edu | UC San Diego | 2024 |
| Ex officio | ||||
| Ex officio | Lorraine Hwang | ljhwang--at--ucdavis.edu | UC Davis |
Contact the EC.
Science Steering Committee
The Science Steering Committee (SSC) prioritizes CIG software development from the perspective of the earth science and computational science discipline. The SSC assesses the competing objectives and needs of all the sub-disciplines covered by CIG, provides initial assessment of proposals submitted to CIG, and provides recommendations on the allocation of development resources. The SSC evaluates proposed CIG activities at least once a year formulating a prioritized list of tasks, and developing a yearly strategic plan for CIG. Recommendations from the SSC are forwarded to the EC and are part of the planning process.
The SSC works in consultation with the software development team and the Director to assess how tasks are inter-related and related to the broader needs of the community. To make this process as productive as possible, the Director and SSC look out for opportunities and new activities and work with those who are in the process of proposing a new effort to ensure that it is within the scope of CIG’s mission.
The SSC consists of 8 elected members including a Chairperson and 2 ex officio members - the CIG Director and the Chairperson of the EC. Seven regular (7) members and one (1) early career member are elected by representatives of member institutions for staggered three-year or one-year terms, respectively. Early career is defined as within 4 years of their terminal degree. The committee balances the expertise in both the geosciences and computational sciences and provides guidance within all of the sub-disciplines of computational geodynamics.
SSC Responsibilities [pdf]
Current members of the SSC and their term end dates are:
| Chair | Dave May | dmay--at--ucsd.edu | UC San Diego | 2024 |
| Vice-Chair | Sylvain Barbot | sbarbot--at--usc.edu | University of Southern California | 2026 |
| Peter Driscoll | pdriscoll--at--carnegiescience.edu | Carnegie Institution | 2024 | |
| Adam Holt | aholt--at--miami.edu | University of Miami | 2025 | |
| Harriet Lau | harriet_lau--at--brown.edu | Brown University | 2024 | |
| Qinya Liu | liuqy--at--physics.utoronto.ca | University of Toronto | 2026 | |
| Elvira Mulyukova | elvira.mulyukova--at--northwestern.edu | Northwestern University | 2025 | |
| Early Career | Emmanuel Njinju | eanjinju--at--ucdavis.edu | UC Davis | 2024 |
| Ex officio | Brad Aagaard | baagaard--at--usgs.gov | US Geological Survey | 2024 |
| Ex officio | ||||
| Ex officio | Lorraine Hwang | ljhwang--at--ucdavis.edu | UC Davis |
Contact the SSC.
Working Groups
CIG Working Groups are ad hoc committees of the organization. As such, they are formed and members appointed by the Executive Committee. Working Groups provide domain expertise to the Science Steering Committee advising the group on software development setting priorities and recommending future directions.
They are currently 7 Working Groups within the main CIG application areas in geodynamics and computing:
- Dynamo
- Earth's Interior
- Education
- Lithospheric Dynamics
- Melts, Fluids, and Multiphysics
- Research Software
- Seismic Cycles
- Seismology
- Short-Term Crustal Dynamics
Visit Community > Groups to view all of our current Working Groups.
Working Groups are the primary method for CIG to engage a broad spectrum of our community. Contact us if you are interested in joining or forming your own ad hoc working group.
For more information on working groups, see Roles and Responsibilities [pdf].