Education

I am a volcanologist studying the effects of external water on volcanic eruptions using field methods, laboratory analysis, and numerical modeling. I investigate the interaction of magma and external water over a wide range of scales, from the evolution and dynamics of hydrothermal systems, to micro-scale dynamic processes occurring at the magma–water interface during fuel-coolant interactions (FCI). Recently, this work has focused on estimating the heat-transfer and fragmentation energetics of lava–water explosions to better understand the dynamics of FCI in a natural system. This research supports eruption forecasting efforts by providing a better quantitative understanding of (1) the risk potential of phreatic or phreatomagmatic eruptions, and (2) the explosion energy imparted to the overall eruption by magma–water interactions. _______________________________________________________________________________________ EDUCATION