Innovator Spotlight: Mathieu Dumberry | The Quad

How do you describe your work to people who don't work in your field?

My research is on the interior of planets and moons, and this includes the Earth, of course. I'm interested in their interior structures, their internal dynamics and how they have evolved to become the way they are today. It is remarkable how the terrestrial planets of our solar system (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars) are all very different from one another. Yet, they all were made from the same initial material. So why did they evolve very differently from one another? Likewise, the myriad number of moons (our own, or those of Jupiter, Saturn, etc.) are also very different from one another. Why? This is the grand theme that motivates my research.

What's one big problem you want to solve through your work?

A better understanding of the rotational dynamics of planets and moons. This seems rather simple. Think of the Earth, for example. We all know it rotates around itself once a day. Yet, we measure small changes in both the speed of its rotation (in other words, the precise length of one day) and the orientation of the rotation axis to the North geographic pole. These changes occur over all timescales, from days to millions of years. They are caused by tidal forces from the sun and the moon, by climate processes happening at the surface (for example, the pole-to-equator mass transfer due to the melting of ice sheets leading to sea-level rise) but also in the deep interior of Earth, due to flow in its core. Likewise, the way a moon wobbles as it orbits a planet is different if it is entirely solid or if it has an internal fluid layer, for example, a subsurface ocean under an external ice shell, like Europa. So we can learn about the structure of a planet or moon by the way it rotates. Understanding how a planet's or moon's internal dynamics can affect its rotation is challenging, but it provides a way to probe its interior.

What does the word "innovation" mean to you?

The science I do is tied to improving our understanding of fundamental physical planetary processes. I am not inventing new physics and my research does not lead directly to practical technological advances. Everything I do is based on good old classical mechanics. But the physics of deformable solids (like an entire planet) or fluids (the oceans, the atmosphere, the fluid core of a planet) is complicated so there are many processes we do not understand well. So when I think of innovation concerning my research, I think of coming up with an explanation for a given observation that nobody else has thought of yet - it is an advancement of our collective knowledge rather than coming up with a new product.

What's been your biggest a-ha moment - in life or work - so far?

It is the realization that all subjects are worthy of academic pursuit. And not just in science. Yes, science gives us technology, medicine, etc. But life is not just about that. To build a better future, for everyone, we need the arts, language studies, historians, etc. This realization did not come as an 'a-ha' moment, more slowly through time.

How do you or your team come up with your best ideas?

My best ideas never occur when I sit down and actively work on a problem. I may spend entire days toying with ideas, and equations, trying to understand how we can explain a specific observation with a dynamic process. And often it feels like I have made little progress. But then, I'll be on a long bike ride, not even thinking about it and the solution hits me. I love these moments. The efforts invested in a problem are never wasted, even though it feels this way sometimes. I find it amazing how the brain still works on a problem in the background. And so often you need to be detached from it to see the solution. The majority of my best ideas have come that way. But you still need to actively try to solve a problem first, to put in the work so to speak. It would be too easy if the solution to all problems could be solved by going on bike rides all the time! (Wouldn't that be nice, though.)

What's your favourite thing about working at the U of A?

I enjoy the collegial atmosphere and inspiration I get from my colleagues, in the physics department but in other departments too. They are all incredibly passionate about their research and are absolutely dedicated to providing the best possible learning environment for their students. They care deeply about teaching and about communicating their knowledge. I find that very inspiring. Every day I try hard to be the best mentor, teacher and researcher I can be. It helps a lot when you know that your colleagues are also pulling in the same direction. You feel you are part of a team.

Do you have a role model at the U of A? How have they influenced you?

If there is one person I can single out, it is Richard Marchand, a professor in the Department of Physics who just retired. I did three internships under his supervision when I was an undergraduate student (at the Université de Sherbrooke, in Québec), and when he was working at INRS, a research institute in greater Montreal. I did not know anything about research at the time, and it was through these internships that I got a taste for it. What I especially liked was how instead of simply trying to find solutions to given questions (as you do, mostly, in undergraduate classes), in research, you also get to choose the questions. Plus, Richard had done his PhD at Princeton, which was eye-opening for me. It planted a seed in my brain and I ended up moving away from home for graduate school too. So he had a key influence on my career path. It is a strange and happy coincidence that he eventually moved to take an academic position at the U of A, and then years later I was hired here too.

In Shape: The University Strategic Plan, the University of Alberta commits to having a positive impact on our students and staff, our communities and the communities we serve here in Alberta and around the world. How does the work you do create impact?

I love doing research. But my biggest impact is through teaching. A few scientists around the world may read my papers, but when you are giving a lecture in an auditorium full of 300 undergraduate students, you have a direct impact on many students. This involves sharing my knowledge, of course, but it is also to instill curiosity and act as a role model. If I succeed in making a positive impact even if it is on a fraction of these 300 students, then I've done my job well.

What's next for you? Do you have any new projects on the horizon?

About Mathieu

Mathieu Dumberry is a professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Alberta. He holds a PhD from Harvard University, an MSc from the University of British Columbia and his bachelors degree in physics at the Université de Sherbrooke. His researchis the interior of Earth, planets and moons, focusing on their structures, dynamics and evolution. He studies the rotational dynamics of planets, their magnetic fields and the flow in their interior liquid layers such as the Earth's core and the subsurface oceans of icy moons. He is the current director of the Institute for Geophysical Researchat the University of Alberta, and the current chair of the Study of the Earth's Deep Interior, a division of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics.

Find Mathieu on ORCID

Innovator Spotlight is a series that introduces you to a faculty or staff member whose discoveries, knowledge and ideas are driving innovation.

Do you know someone at the U of A who is transforming ideas into remarkable realities? Maybe it's you! We are interested in hearing from people who are helping shape the future, improving quality of life, driving economic growth and diversification and serving the public. We feature people working across all disciplines, whether they are accelerating solutions in energy, shaping the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence or forging new paths in health and Indigenous leadership.

Get in touch at [email protected].

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