Fate of Ice, Fate of Humanity
Embedded Files
I am a geoscientist, material scientist, and data scientist passionate about understanding how ice and other crystalline materials deform under stress. My work connects Earth’s cryosphere with the icy worlds of the outer Solar System, combining laboratory deformation experiments, field investigations, microstructural analysis, computational modelling, and machine learning to uncover the microphysical processes that control their flow. I’m driven by the belief that the behaviour of ice, whether deep beneath Antarctica or within distant moons, tells a shared story about the stability of our planet and the future of humanity: Fate of ice, fate of humanity.
"Go for the messes―that's where the action is." ― Steven Weinberg
© Sheng Fan. Images may not be reproduced or used without permission.
My research translates micrometre-scale changes within crystals into predictions of kilometre-scale geophysical behaviour. I deform ice samples under controlled conditions to replicate natural stress–strain behaviours, then examine their internal structures using advanced microscopy methods, such as electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and micro-CT.
© Sheng Fan. Images may not be reproduced or used without permission.
I integrate laboratory-derived microstructural data with physics-based constraints to link microscopic deformation mechanisms to large-scale ice flow. These insights are fundamental for developing microphysics-informed flow laws that constrain data-driven models of Antarctic ice dynamics and improve predictions of ice-sheet evolution and stability.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse