Theoretical and Observational Seismology
The primary goal of Professor Wen's group is to discover and map seismic structures in the Earth's interior and to understand these seismic structures in the context of composition, temperature and dynamics of various parts of the Earth. Professor Wen also develope hybrid methods and migration methods. Hybrid methods are combinations of analytical and numerical methods, with numerical methods applied in heterogeneous regions only and analytical methods outside.

Earth's Core-mantle boundary Earth's Inner-Core Earth's Outer-Core Earth's Transition Zone Earth's Crust

Geodynamics
Professor Wen's group's research in geodynamics is directed at understanding the relationship of large scale geodynamical observables (geoid, topography, plate motions and intra-plate stresses) with mantle rheology and convection. Mantle convection causes lateral variations of chemistry and temperature in the mantle and those lateral variations eventually drive mantle convection and produce signatures which are observable at the surface of the Earth. Most of the efforts in geodynamics is to understand deep mantle processes using constraints from those surface observables and seismic results. The research projects include:

GRACE data monitoring water storage change and drought Intra-plate stress Plate motion constraints on mantle rheology and convection Geoid and topography constraints on mantle convection Slabs, hotspots and mantle convection revealed from the residual tomography in the upper mantle 130 Ma subduction history