Dr. Gregory Boitnott received his Ph.D. in Tectonophysics and Experimental Rock Mechanics from Columbia University. He has been a Principal Scientist with New England Research, Inc. since 1991 where he is involved in the design, development, and use of laboratory equipment for characterization of mechanical, fluid flow, and electrical properties of rock at elevated temperature and pressure. Dr. Boitnott specializes in combining rock testing and physical modelling for understanding mechanical and petrophysical properties. He has worked on underground explosions, contaminant transport, geothermal reservoir characterization, nuclear waste disposal, and oil and gas reservoir engineering. His current research involves constraining advanced physical models of rocks to incorporate the effects of heterogeneities and nonlinearities in the stress and temperature dependence of mechanical properties.