World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Sean D. Willett

Sean D. Willett

D-Index & Metrics

Earth Science

D-Index
58
Citations
15159
World Ranking
2127
National Ranking
60

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2015 - Member of Academia Europaea

Overview

Sean D. Willett is affiliated with ETH Zurich in Switzerland and specializes in Earth and Planetary Sciences. Their research predominantly addresses areas within geophysics, atmospheric science, and earth-surface processes, with additional contributions to management, monitoring, policy and law, and geology.

The scientist's main topics of study cover a broad spectrum within geological and geophysical disciplines, including:

  • Geology and paleoclimatology research
  • Earthquake and tectonic studies
  • Geological formations and processes
  • Geological and geochemical analysis
  • Landslides and related hazards
  • Geological and geophysical studies
  • Geological and geophysical studies worldwide

Sean D. Willett's research output is disseminated through multiple established publication venues. Frequent venues for their work include:

  • Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
  • Earth and Planetary Science Letters
  • Earth Surface Dynamics
  • Journal of Geophysical Research Earth Surface
  • Earth Surface Processes and Landforms

Key recent publications by Sean D. Willett and collaborators are:

  • "Escarpment evolution drives the diversification of the Madagascar flora," 2024, Science
  • "Drainage basin dynamics during the transition from early to mature orogeny in Southern Taiwan," 2021, Earth and Planetary Science Letters
  • "Bias and error in modelling thermochronometric data: resolving a potential increase in Plio-Pleistocene erosion rate," 2021, Earth Surface Dynamics
  • "Controls on Physical and Chemical Denudation in a Mixed Carbonate-Siliciclastic Orogen," 2021, Journal of Geophysical Research Earth Surface
  • "Quaternary drainage network reorganization in the Colombian Eastern Cordillera plateau," 2020, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms

Collaborations have been an important component of their research activities, working frequently with co-authors including:

  • Yanyan Wang
  • Maria Giuditta Fellin
  • Marcus Christl
  • Datian Wu
  • Vincenzo Picotti

Sean D. Willett was recognized by membership in the Academia Europaea, awarded in 2015.

Best Publications

  • Links between erosion, runoff variability and seismicity in the Taiwan orogen

    Simon J. Dadson;Niels Hovius;Hongey Chen;W. Brian Dade

  • Orogeny and orography: The effects of erosion on the structure of mountain belts

    Sean D. Willett

  • Mechanical model for the tectonics of doubly vergent compressional orogens

    Sean Willett;Christopher Beaumont;Philippe Fullsack

  • Dynamic reorganization of river basins.

    Sean D. Willett;Scott W. McCoy;Scott W. McCoy;J. Taylor Perron;Liran Goren

  • On steady states in mountain belts

    Sean D. Willett;Mark T. Brandon

  • Climate, tectonics, and the morphology of the Andes

    David R. Montgomery;Greg Balco;Sean D. Willett

  • Worldwide acceleration of mountain erosion under a cooling climate

    Frédéric Herman;Diane Seward;Pierre G. Valla;Andrew Carter

  • A very efficient O(n), implicit and parallel method to solve the stream power equation governing fluvial incision and landscape evolution

    Jean Braun;Sean D. Willett

  • In situ low-relief landscape formation as a result of river network disruption.

    Rong Yang;Sean D. Willett;Liran Goren

  • Uplift, shortening,and steady state topography in active mountain belts

    Sean D. Willett;Rudy Slingerland;Niels Hovius

  • Subduction of Asian lithospheric mantle beneath Tibet inferred from models of continental collision

    Sean D. Willett;Christopher Beaumont

  • Erosion rates and orogenic-wedge kinematics in Taiwan inferred from fission-track thermochronometry

    Sean D. Willett;Donald Fisher;Christopher Fuller;Yeh En-Chao

  • Tectonics from fluvial topography using formal linear inversion: Theory and applications to the Inyo Mountains, California

    L. Goren;L. Goren;Matthew Fox;Matthew Fox;Matthew Fox;Sean D. Willett

  • Exhumation processes

    Unknown

  • Computational Tools for Low-Temperature Thermochronometer Interpretation

    Todd A. Ehlers;Tehmasp Chaudhri;Santosh Kumar;Chris W. Fuller

  • Messinian climate change and erosional destruction of the central European Alps

    Sean D. Willett;Fritz Schlunegger;Vincenzo Picotti

  • Coupled numerical–analytical approach to landscape evolution modeling

    Liran Goren;Sean D. Willett;Frédéric Herman;Jean Braun

  • Formation of forearc basins and their influence on subduction zone earthquakes

    Christopher W. Fuller;Sean D. Willett;Mark T. Brandon

  • A thermomechanical wedge model of Taiwan constrained by fission-track thermochronometry

    C.W. Fuller;S.D. Willett;D. Fisher;C.Y. Lu

  • Dynamic and kinematic growth and change of a Coulomb wedge

    Sean D. Willett

  • Quantitative testing of bedrock incision models for the Clearwater River, NW Washington State

    Jonathan H. Tomkin;Mark T. Brandon;Frank J. Pazzaglia;Jonathan R. Barbour

  • Oxygen isotopic transport and exchange during fluid flow; one-dimensional models and applications

    John R. Bowman;Sean D. Willett;Stephen J. Cook

  • Present-day uplift of the European Alps: Evaluating mechanisms and models of their relative contributions

    Pietro Sternai;Christian Sue;Laurent Husson;Enrico Serpelloni

Frequent Co-Authors

Frédéric Herman
Frédéric Herman University of Lausanne
Christopher Beaumont
Christopher Beaumont Dalhousie University
Giovanni Bertotti
Giovanni Bertotti Delft University of Technology
Taras Gerya
Taras Gerya ETH Zurich
Michael Strasser
Michael Strasser University of Innsbruck
Marcus Christl
Marcus Christl ETH Zurich
Niels Hovius
Niels Hovius University of Potsdam
Claudio Faccenna
Claudio Faccenna Dresdner Grundwasserforschungszentrum
Mark T. Brandon
Mark T. Brandon Yale University
Jean Braun
Jean Braun University of Potsdam

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