Roger Bilham

Roger Bilham is a British-American geophysicist and seismologist affiliated with the University of Colorado Boulder. He has spent much of his career there researching earthquake mechanics and tectonic deformation.

Bilham utilizes Global Positioning System (GPS) geodesy to measure tectonic plate movements and fault deformation with millimeter-level precision. This technique allows him to detect strain accumulation along faults that may eventually be released in earthquakes.

Bilham has published extensively on seismic hazard in the Himalayan region, where he has identified large seismic gaps that have not ruptured in centuries. His research suggests that these zones could produce major earthquakes affecting millions of people across South Asia.

Bilham has argued that a significant proportion of earthquake fatalities in rapidly urbanizing regions stem from poor building construction rather than the earthquakes themselves. His research highlights how unchecked urban growth in seismically active zones dramatically increases human vulnerability.