Texas - given its historical association with the energy industry, its large and economically important continental shelf and slope, and its direct access to the world's oceans through the Gulf of Mexico - is a natural location for an Earth sciences research program of global scope with emphases in geophysics and marine geology.

The University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG) is known internationally as a leading academic research group in geology and geophysics.

Founded in 1972, UTIG is an Organized Research Unit within the University of Texas system, operating under the auspices of the the university s Jackson School of Geosciences. UTIG research activities are carried out all over the world and include large-scale, multi-investigator, multi-institutional field programs.

The importance of geophysical measurements and of their mathematical interpretation in the exploration for petroleum and economically useful minerals has also led to valuable partnerships between UTIG and industry.

The Institute for Geophysics presently hosts thirty six research scientists, nine postdoctoral fellows, three emeritus faculty. The support staff includes engineers, systems analysts, technicians, and administrative personnel.

UTIG maintains a close working relationship with the University's Department of Geological Sciences (DGS), in which four Institute scientists serve as faculty. During any given semester, between 20 and 30 graduate students, mostly from DGS, engage in UTIG research as partial fulfillment of their Masters and Ph.D. degree requirements; about ten undergraduate students assist researchers each year. The Institute for Geophysics also plays a role in K-12 education through formal teacher-training programs and informal outreach efforts.