Professor Thurber is an international leader in research on three-dimensional seismic imaging ("seismic tomography") using microearthquakes. His primary research interests are in the application of seismic tomography to fault zones and volcanoes, with a major focus on the San Andreas fault in central California, Kilauea volcano in Hawaii, and subduction zones. Other areas of expertise include earthquake location (the topic of a book he recently edited), geophysical inverse theory (the topic of a book he recently co-authored), and nuclear explosion monitoring.

At the undergraduate level, Professor Thurber has taught General Geology, Environmental Geology, Applied Geophysics, and Earth in the Nuclear Age. In fall 2006, he will be co-teaching Environmental Geology. At the graduate level, Professor Thurber has taught Physics of the Earth, Geophysical Inverse Theory, Tectonophysics, and a variety of seminars on faults and volcanoes. In spring 2006, he will be teaching Geophysical Inverse Theory.