2026 Tandem Training Workshop – Statewide California Earthquake Center

Date: June 22-24, 2026
Location: Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA
Workshop Organizers: Bar Oryan, Alice-Agnes Gabriel, Dave May, Jeena Yun, Yohai Magen
SCEC Award: 26020

Summary

Advances in geodetic, seismic, and geological observations now capture fault slip in far greater detail than was possible only a couple of decades ago, from slow transient deformation to fluid-driven processes and fault zone complexity. Yet the observational record remains incomplete, and observations alone cannot explain the physical processes that govern the seismic cycle. Physics-based models of Sequences of Earthquakes and Aseismic Slip (SEAS) bridge this gap, and next-generation SEAS models can now incorporate the realistic fault geometries, heterogeneous crust, and realistic tectonic loading that observations reveal. These simulations, however, are technically demanding, and many early-career scientists lack opportunities to develop the numerical modeling and high-performance computing (HPC) skills they require. The 2026 SCEC Tandem Training Workshop brought together 39 participants, primarily graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career scientists, from 22 institutions in 8 countries for an intensive 2.5-day, science-driven, hands-on workshop at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego. Invited talks by Brittany Erickson (University of Oregon), Pierre Romanet (CEREMA/GéoAzur, France), So Ozawa (ERI, University of Tokyo, Japan), and Tom Heaton (Caltech), together with six participant science talks and two poster sessions, connected the training part to the scientific frontiers of earthquake-cycle research. Guided hands-on sessions then trained participants to design, mesh, launch, visualize, and interpret SEAS simulations with Tandem, an open-source HPC code (Uphoff et al., 2023; Gabriel et al., 2026). To make this possible for users at every level, the organizing team built a dedicated computational ecosystem, including HPC access via the Quakeworx Science Gateway, a pre-configured JupyterLab image on the National Data Platform (NPD), and a portable Docker environment, all of which, together with the complete training materials, remain openly available to participants after the workshop. Feedback was strongly positive: the 23 survey responses rated the workshop 4.7/5 for overall value, format, and logistics, and identified the hands-on exercises as the most valuable element.

Participants rated the SCEC Tandem Training Workshop 4.7/5 for overall engagement, educational value, format, and organization, and 4.8/5 for the computational resources supporting the hands-on training. Hands-on exercises were identified as the workshop’s most valuable component, and participants reported increased confidence using Tandem and applying it to their own earthquake-cycle research. SEE PHOTOS

Key Outcomes

The workshop produced several important educational, technical, and community outcomes that will strengthen the use of physics-based earthquake-cycle simulations globally. Highlights are summarized below, with additional detail available in the workshop report.

Training the next generation of earthquake-cycle modelers: The workshop trained a new international cohort of graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career scientists to design, run, visualize, and interpret physics-based simulations of Sequences of Earthquakes and Aseismic Slip (SEAS) using the open-source Tandem software package. Through structured hands-on training, participant-led model development, and direct interaction with Tandem developers, participants developed practical skills in numerical modeling, high-performance computing (HPC), and earthquake-cycle simulation that will support future research using SCEC community models and datasets.
Lowering barriers to high-performance earthquake-cycle simulations: A major outcome of the workshop was the development of an integrated computational ecosystem that made advanced SEAS modeling accessible to users with a wide range of computational experience. Participants received access to the Quakeworx Science Gateway, a pre-configured National Data Platform JupyterLab environment, portable Docker and virtual machine installations, and complete online documentation and training materials. These resources remain openly available after the workshop, enabling continued use of Tandem on laptops, cloud resources, and national supercomputing systems.
Connecting training with cutting-edge earthquake science: The workshop embedded computational training within the latest advances in earthquake-cycle research through invited presentations, participant talks, poster sessions, and collaborative discussions. Scientific sessions highlighted realistic fault geometry, heterogeneous Earth structure, fluids, non-planar fault networks, and next-generation SEAS simulations, enabling participants to apply newly acquired computational skills to contemporary research challenges and begin developing prototype models for their own study regions.
Building an international SEAS modeling community: The workshop brought together 39 participants from 22 institutions in 8 countries, establishing an international community of researchers interested in physics-based earthquake-cycle modeling. Participant talks, poster sessions, open work periods, and direct interaction with Tandem developers fostered new collaborations and established a foundation for continued community engagement beyond the workshop.
Creating lasting educational resources for the research community: The workshop produced a suite of openly available educational resources that extend its impact beyond the event itself. Training notebooks, example problems, software environments, documentation, and computational workflows remain freely available to support continued learning, independent research, and future Tandem training workshops. Participant feedback also provided a roadmap for expanding these resources and strengthening future Tandem training workshops.

References

Oryan, B., Gabriel, A., Yun, J., Magen, Y., & May, D. A. (2026). 2026 Tandem Training Workshop Report: Statewide California Earthquake Center. SCEC Contribution 15182

Gabriel, A.-A., Karki, P., Magen, Y., Oryan, B., Ulrich, T., Yun, J., May, D.A. (2026). Tandem: An Open‐Source High‐Performance Computing Volumetric Software Package to Model Sequences of Earthquakes and Aseismic Slip Across Complex Fault Systems. Seismological Research Letters. SCEC Contribution 15181

Uphoff, C., May, D. A., & Gabriel, A.-A. (2023). A discontinuous Galerkin method for sequences of earthquakes and aseismic slip on multiple faults using unstructured curvilinear grids. Geophysical Journal International, 233(1), 586–626. SCEC Contribution 14131

Presentation materials may be viewed by clicking the links below. PLEASE NOTE: Files are the author’s property. They may contain unpublished or preliminary information and should only be used for reviewing the talk. Only the presentations for which SCEC has received permission to post publicly are included below.

All times are Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7).

Monday, June 22, 2026

Time	Agenda Item	Speaker
12:30 - 13:30	Optional arrival window with boxed lunch and registration materials
13:30 - 13:40	Introduction	Bar Oryan
13:40 - 14:05	Incorporating Complex Physics and Geometries in SEAS Modeling: Numerical Challenges and Discoveries	Brittany Erickson
14:05 - 14:30	A perspective on the theory and simulation of non-planar fault networks (PDF)	Pierre Romanet
14:30 - 15:00	Coffee break
15:00 - 15:25	Role of fluids and faults’ geometrical complexity in the earthquake cycle	So Ozawa
15:25 - 15:50	Slip pulses are chaotic and they cause fractal prestress (PDF)	Tom Heaton
16:00 - 17:20	Poster session
17:30	Last shuttle to UCSD main campus
19:00 - 19:45	Dinner at dining hall

Tuesday, June 23, 2026

Time	Agenda Item	Speaker
07:15 - 08:00	Breakfast at dining hall
08:30 - 09:00	Tandem introduction (PDF)	Alice Gabriel
09:00 - 10:15	Session A: Preparing Tandem input files and launching simulations (PDF)	Yohai Magen
10:15 - 10:30	3D frictional and viscous earthquake sequence modeling in Cascadia subduction zone	Wenqiang Zhang
10:30 - 11:00	Coffee break
11:00 - 12:15	Session B: Postprocessing and visualizing Tandem simulations	Jeena Yun
12:15 - 13:15	Lunch
13:15 - 13:30	Earthquake modelling in coupled poroelastic and elastic media (PDF)	Federico Bucher
13:30 - 13:45	Linking Paleoseismic Trench Observations to Earthquake Source Characteristics via Distinct Element Method Models	Kristen Chiama
13:45 - 14:45	Individual Tandem model development with support (and coffee)
15:00 - 17:00	Tour of the San Diego Supercomputer Center (take the 15:00 shuttle to UCSD main campus)
19:00 - 19:45	Dinner at dining hall

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Time	Agenda Item	Speaker
07:15 - 08:00	Breakfast at dining hall
08:30 - 09:45	Session C: Generating meshes for Tandem with Gmsh	Bar Oryan
09:45 - 11:00	Poster session (with coffee)
11:15 - 11:30	Multi-scale Modeling of Fault Zones with High Resolution Physics	Mohamed Abdelmeguid
11:30 - 11:45	FASTDASH: an implementation of 3-D earthquake cycle simulation on complex fault systems using the boundary element method accelerated by H-matrices (PDF)	Jinhui Cheng
11:45 - 12:45	Lunch
12:45 - 13:45	Session D: Running and compiling Tandem on HPC: Quakeworx and external clusters	Jeena Yun and Bar Oryan
13:45 - 14:00	Pore Pressure Perturbations on Rough Fault Earthquake Cycle Simulations (PDF)	Leonardo Aguilar Suarez
14:00 - 14:30	Coffee break
14:30 - 15:45	Individual Tandem model development with support
15:45 - 16:00	Concluding remarks	Bar Oryan
16:30 - 18:30	Optional end-of-workshop bites at Shore Rider
19:00 - 19:45	Dinner at dining hall

Poster Presentations

The workshop featured 22 poster presentations that provided early-career participants with an opportunity to present their research, connect the hands-on training to a broad range of scientific applications, and foster collaboration within the emerging Tandem user community. Post-workshop surveys also identified the poster sessions as a valuable component of the training experience, contributing to participant learning alongside the hands-on exercises, participant talks, and invited presentations.

#	Last Name	First Name	Poster Title
1	Vogel	Em	Evaluating Tidal Triggering of Subduction Zone Earthquakes Using 2D Earthquake Cycle Simulations
3	Zhai	Peng	Small and large earthquakes arising from weak fault zone deformation
4	Custard	Alaura	Using Episodic Tremor and Slip to Characterize Segmentation Boundaries in Cascadia
5	Tan	Morow	Triggered Aseismic Creep Following the 2023 Ocotillo Swarm Constrained by 3D InSAR Observations
6	Cui	Xin	Spatiotemporal evolution of fault slip before induced earthquakes
7	Tang	Yuxiang (Gideon)	Probabilistic Faudi Displacement Hazard Analysis for the Willunga Fault in Australia
8	Agboola	Kayode	Arc-Scale Imaging of the Cascade Volcanoes Using Ambient Noise Imaging Technique
9	Botell	Brittany	Comprehensive Benchmarking and Comparison of Dynamic Rupture Codes DRDG3D and Faultmod
10	Jaman	Md Hasnat	GNSS Constraints on Deformation and Seismic Hazard Along the Dauki Fault, Bangladesh
11	Jiang	Yu	Characterizing Aseismic Stress Transients During Earthquake Swarms in California and Nevada From Seismicity Rate Observations
12	K C	Sajan	Earthquake Ground Motion Simulation Validation in California and their Engineering Relevance
13	Li	Linxuan	Ubiquitous Interactions and Subcritical Patches Explain the Irregularity of Repeating Earthquakes
15	Melhorato	Rodrigo	Long-term modelling of earthquake swarms in shallow crust in the South American Intraplate
16	Mishra	Eshanta	InSAR-Based Monitoring of Slow Slip Events in the Cascadia Subduction Zone
17	O'Kane	Aisling	Constraining historical earthquake sequences in the New Zealand transition zone using paleoseismic records and ground motion modelling
18	Odhiambo	Caroline	Earthquake Cycle Dynamics and the Response of Engineered Structures in the East African Rift System
19	Salinas	Matthew	Compton blind thrust fault paleoseismology - Connecting compressional structures in the LA metropolitan area
20	Shi	Qian	Flow2QuakeDFN: coupling quasi-dynamic ruptures with complicated pore pressure, poro-elastic and thermo-elastic stresses
21	Shrestha	Rajani	Earthquake recurrence intervals in numerical simulations on a planar, homogeneous fault
22	Sun	Yudong	Experimental and Numerical Modeling of Earthquake Rupture Interactions Across Multiple Asperities and Barriers
2	Haque	Dewan Mohammad Enamul	Unexpected Faulting in the Recent (2025–2026) Bangladesh Earthquake Sequence: New Structure or Megathrust Splay
14	Liu	Zhen	Unravelling Slow Earthquake Variability in Cascadia Margin

Participants

The workshop brought together 39 participants (37 in person and 2 remote) from 22 institutions in 8 countries, primarily graduate students and postdoctoral researchers interested in earthquakes, slow slip events, the physics of seismic cycles, and SEAS simulations. Participants were selected from approximately 80 applicants based on their scientific motivation, the anticipated benefit to their research and career development, and their readiness to engage in the workshop’s computational training. Invited presentations by leading researchers, together with participant science talks and poster sessions, connected the hands-on training to the frontiers of earthquake-cycle research and provided opportunities for participants to engage directly with leaders in earthquake-cycle research.

Participants received lodging and meals throughout the workshop, with accommodations provided on the UC San Diego campus and shuttle transportation to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography each day. SCEC also provided additional travel support, including partial airfare assistance, to eligible participants. Online participation was available on the opening day for those unable to travel.

* Remote Participant

Last Name	First Name	Organization
Abdelmeguid	Mohamed	California Institute of Technology
Agboola	Kayode	Cornell University
Aguilar Suarez	Leonardo	Stanford University
Bongoyo	Ally	University Of Dar Es Salaam
Botell	Brittany	University of Memphis
Bucher	Federico	Universidad Nacional de La Plata
Chai	Lin	University of Science and Technology of China
Cheng	Jinhui	California Institute of Technology
Chiama	Kristen	University of Southern California
Cui	Xin	Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Custard	Alaura	University of Kansas
Erickson	Britanny	University of Oregon
Gabriel	Alice-Agnes	University of California, San Diego
Haque	Dewan Mohammad Enamul	Louisiana State University
Jaman	Md Hasnat	Columbia University
Jiang	Yu	University of Nevada, Reno
K C	Sajan	University of Southern California
Kuncoro	Alvina	Institut Teknologi Bandung
Li	Linxuan	California Institute of Technology
Liu	Lei	University of Science and Technology of China
Liu	Zhen	JPL / California Institute of Technology
Magen	Yohai	University of California, San Diego
May	Dave	University of California, San Diego
Melhorato	Rodrigo	Instituto Militar de Engenharia
Mohanty	Aditya	CSIR - National Geophysical Research Institute
O'Kane	Aisling	Victoria University of Wellington
* Ojeda	Javier	Universidad de Concepción
Oryan	Bar	University of California, San Diego
Osumeje	Joseph	University of Michigan
Ozawa	So	Earthquake Research Institute, University of Tokyo
Palle	Jyothsna	CSIR - National Geophysical Research Institute
Rani	Priya	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India
* Rapaport Bruck	Eitan	University of California, San Diego
Romanet	Pierre	CEREMA/GéoAzur
Salinas	Matthew	University of Southern California
Sharma	Yogendra	National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
Shi	Qian	California Institute of Technology
Shrestha	Rajani	California Institute of Technology
Sun	Yudong	Stanford University
Tan	Morow	University of Colorado Boulder
Tang	Yuxiang (Gideon)	The University of Melbourne
Tomar	Yashpal Singh	National Centre for Seismology
Vogel	Em	University of Michigan
Yun	Jeena	University of California, San Diego
Zhai	Peng	University of Michigan
Zhang	Wenqiang	Stanford University

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2026 SCEC Tandem Training Workshop