Douglas Jerolmack, Professor of Earth and Environmental Science and Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, is the Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Endowed Term Professor of Earth and Environmental Science. Jerolmack is pioneering the emerging field of “Soft Earth Geophysics,” that centers on advancing our understanding of Earth’s dynamic surface through the physics of “squishy” materials. He also works with roboticists and cognitive scientists to improve how we explore our Earth, the Moon and Mars, and with education experts to improve learning and engagement in STEM. Jerolmack’s group, the Penn Soft Earth Dynamics Lab, uses laboratory experiments, combined with field work and theory, to elucidate the minimum number of ingredients that are required to explain physical phenomena. Particular areas of focus include: natural hazards such as mudslides, earthquakes and flooding; the formation and evolution of landforms, such as rivers, sand dunes and crack patterns, on Earth and other planets; stochastic and nonlinear transport processes; and landscape response to climate change. Applications of this research are aimed at improving sustainable geomaterials, hazard prediction, landscape management practices, and planetary exploration.