Adrian Marin Mag

DPhil Student
St Cross College
DPhil Student
marin.mag@earth.ox.ac.uk
I am a PhD candidate in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Oxford, specializing in deep Earth seismic imaging. My research focuses on improving and developing tomography methods, primarily linear inversions and inferences.
 
Most of my research focuses on linear inference methods rooted in the foundational work of Backus and Gilbert. The core philosophy of these approaches is to constrain properties of the true Earth model—rather than attempting to recover the model itself, which is often ill-posed due to non-uniqueness. The methods I use and develop emphasize a rigorous mathematical formulation of the inverse problem prior to its numerical solution. This includes a clear understanding of the functional spaces involved, the linear operators connecting them, and the nature of the constraints and assumptions underpinning the formulation
 
A central aspect of my work is examining the role of discretization in shaping the outcome of inversions, ensuring that it does not introduce spurious features or distort the interpretation. I place strong emphasis on making assumptions explicit, ensuring well-posedness, and carefully analyzing the mathematical structure of the problem. This approach is essential not only for producing interpretable and reliable inferences, but also for avoiding the risk of mistaking artefacts for geophysically meaningful structures.
 

Publications