Wasja is a seismologist with a background in structural geology. He earned his B.Sc. at the University of Göttingen and his M.Sc. and Ph.D. at Freie Universität Berlin. Before coming to NORSAR, he was involved in research projects at GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences Potsdam and The University of British Columbia, where he investigated subduction zone processes and sequences of tectonic earthquakes.

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) postdoctoral fellowship offers talented researchers to build their research career through international mobility. The program is the European Union’s reference program for doctoral and postdoctoral training, supporting researchers’ careers and foster excellence in research and innovation.

At NORSAR, Wasja will work on developing relMT, a software to compute relative earthquake moment tensors. The seismic moment tensor is crucial for understanding sources of subsurface shaking, like earthquakes. Wasja’s project aims at creating an open-source software that can efficiently determine moment tensors for weak seismic events, with little data requirements. The new algorithm can lower the magnitude threshold for analysis by 2 to 3, potentially increasing the number of resolvable moment tensors by a factor of 100 to 1000.

This enhanced capability can improve our understanding of subsurface stress changes, aiding in the safe operation of zero-carbon energy technologies, such as enhanced geothermal systems or underground CO2 storage. The software could help to detect early signs of faults activation and cap-rock failures, reducing risks, improving public acceptance, and protecting investments.

Additionally, the software can support various scientific studies, including those related to tectonic or volcanic activity, underground mining, the analysis of acoustic emissions in laboratory experiments, or sources of chemical or nuclear explosions.