GLENN’S BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Glenn Thompson is a volcano seismologist specializing in real-time seismic and infrasound monitoring of hazardous geologic and atmospheric phenomena. He began his observatory career at the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO), joining during the peak of the Soufrière Hills Volcano crisis in 1996 and returning from 2000 to 2003 as Seismic Network Manager. There, he led a major upgrade of the seismic monitoring program, designing automated real-time alarm systems for pyroclastic flows and lahars, pioneering amplitude-based source location (ASL) techniques, and implementing an energy magnitude scale tailored to volcanic environments. His innovations helped transform MVO’s capacity to detect and respond to rapidly evolving volcanic hazards.

Dr. Thompson also contributed extensively to volcano monitoring and crisis response at the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO), where he developed operational tools, supported real-time surveillance across the Aleutians, and integrated seismic and infrasound data into monitoring workflows.

Since 2016, Dr. Thompson has led research in the emerging field of rocket seismo-acoustics through a collaboration between the University of South Florida (USF) and NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in collaboration with Robert Brown and John Kiriazes. He deployed and maintained a dedicated seismo-acoustic network across the spaceport, recording over 200 rocket launches and a wide range of secondary signals including sonic booms, re-entry events, and propulsive static fires. His work applies techniques from volcano monitoring to characterize the seismic and atmospheric signatures of rocket launches, with applications ranging from source diagnostics and environmental impact assessment to subsurface imaging of the Florida peninsula using rocket-generated waves.