Adam Cawood is a structural geologist at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas. His research focuses on faulting and deformation processes, with applications to energy development, resource exploration, and geohazard assessment. He has experience in extensional, strike-slip, and contractional tectonic regimes, working across a range of scales and in diverse geologic settings, including the Permian Basin, offshore Newfoundland, Pembrokeshire, the Rocky Mountains, and the French Alps. His work integrates close-range remote sensing (LiDAR and digital photogrammetry), quantitative field-based characterization, experimental modeling, and subsurface interpretation and analysis.
Dr. Cawood holds B.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Aberdeen. His doctorate research investigated strain partitioning in carbonate and clastic multilayer systems, focusing on the role of stratigraphic architecture in controlling fault displacement, fracture development, and structural style. At Southwest Research Institute, he has led multiple research projects on fault growth in mechanically layered rocks, drone-based fracture prediction, and analog modeling. He has particular expertise in the acquisition, processing, and analysis of high-resolution 3D geospatial datasets, including digital photogrammetry and LiDAR, and holds an FAA Remote Pilot Certificate for UAS operations. His recent work emphasizes the integration of digital data with physical and numerical modeling to better constrain subsurface deformation and fault behavior.
Dr. Cawood has authored or coauthored over 20 peer-reviewed publications, with work appearing in Journal of Structural Geology, Marine and Petroleum Geology, Solid Earth, and Lithosphere. He serves as a reviewer for several international journals and has received multiple academic honors, including the 2018 Journal of Structural Geology Student Author of the Year Award and the 2024 Best Oral Paper Award at the International Meeting for Applied Geoscience & Energy.