Seismologist at NORSAR, Federica Ghione, successfully defended her doctoral thesis at the University of Oslo on the 20th of May.

Originally from Italy, Federica first joined NORSAR in 2018 as a student trainee. She holds a master’s degree in Applied Geological Sciences from the University of Pavia, Italy. In 2020, she began her PhD in seismic hazard and risk assessment at the University of Oslo.

As part of her PhD, Federica has been working at NORSAR on assessing the risks posed by earthquakes to buildings, infrastructure, and populations in urban areas. The findings are crucial for urban planning, guiding better preparedness for potential earthquakes and ensuring that safety standards align with current risks. By identifying vulnerable areas, the research study can help local authorities, policymakers, and city planners make informed decisions for future construction and risk mitigation strategies.

In her PhD study, Federica provides a detailed seismic hazard and risk assessment for Oslo, an area that has historically been considered to have low seismic risk, but still vulnerable due to its geological conditions and building stock. The study combines data and information from the different key components (hazard, exposure and vulnerability) to provide estimates of the seismic risk. 

Seismic risk components: hazard, exposure, and vulnerability. The left side shows a low-risk scenario where limited exposure (desert landscape with sparse population) reduces potential impacts, despite the presence of seismic hazard. The right side represents a high-risk scenario where significant exposure (urban landscape) and vulnerability (buildings susceptible to damage) increase the potential impact of an earthquake. Figure/Illustration: Federica Ghione.

Federica during her disputas

Although Oslo is not prone to major earthquakes, certain areas are more vulnerable due to local ground conditions and building types. Federica’s research integrates fieldwork and advanced data analysis, including investigations of building typologies, ground conditions and fault structures, to identify zones at higher seismic risk.

Federica's doctorate was completed at the Department of Geosciences in the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Oslo. Her supervisors were Head of Research at NORSAR Volker Oye and Prof. Anita Torabi, UiO. 

The opponents were Prof. Benedikt Halldórsson, School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, University of Iceland, and scientist Annabel Händel, Seismic Hazard and Risk Dynamics Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences. 

The chair of the defense was Prof. François Renard, Department of Geosciences, UiO

Read more about the defense here: Dissertation - Federica Ghione.

The PhD thesis is available to read from the UiO research arhive here. 

Congratulations!