Experience

Alaska Earthquake Center

• Higher Education
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Field Operations Manager

  • May 2023 - Present

  Fairbanks, Alaska, United States I run the field teams responsible for maintaining, upgrading, and when necessary fixing>250 seismic stations across the state of Alaska. Our stations help monitor and track earthquakes from the subduction zone and related tectonic effects on the landscape. We also host a range of other scientific equipment to facilitate a broader scope of scientific studies (meteorological, soil/permafrost, and GNSS) where those studies can benefit from the remote and well distributed seismic station… Show more I run the field teams responsible for maintaining, upgrading, and when necessary fixing>250 seismic stations across the state of Alaska. Our stations help monitor and track earthquakes from the subduction zone and related tectonic effects on the landscape. We also host a range of other scientific equipment to facilitate a broader scope of scientific studies (meteorological, soil/permafrost, and GNSS) where those studies can benefit from the remote and well distributed seismic station locations. Show less



U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

• Research Services
• 700 & Above Employee

• Operations Geologist

  • Sep 2017 - May 2023

  Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Volcano monitoring, Hazard assessment, Tephra lab manager, webcamera network manager, volcano eruption response.



NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

• United States
• Defense and Space Manufacturing
• 700 & Above Employee

• Mars InSight System Engineer II

  • Feb 2017 - Aug 2017

  Greater Los Angeles Area International and interplanetary facilitator

• NASA Postdoctoral Fellowship

  • Feb 2014 - Feb 2017

  Pasadena, CA Fellowship funded through Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) to work with JPL designed robots in volcanic settings. The goals are: 1) to accurately document, map, and measure the structure and geometry of volcanic vents in order to 2) determine more accurate, but still fundamental fluid dynamics of volcanic fissure vents during eruptions on the earth, terrestrial bodies, and planetary bodies.

• RCUH Postdoctoral Intern/Visiting Scientist

  • Jul 2013 - Jan 2014

  Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Working on the geology team to document and understand volcanic processes at Kilauea with the ongoing Pu'u 'O'o and Halema'uma'u eruptions.



University of Hawaii at Manoa

• United States
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Doctoral degree

  • Aug 2008 - Jun 2013

  Honolulu, HI Admitted to Candidacy August 2009. Succesfully defended Sept 26, 2012. Submitted revisions April 3, 2013. Degree conferred on May 11, 2013. Topic: Investigating the 1969 Mauna Ulu eruption. Specifically, documenting and understanding episode 1, a low hawaiian-style fissure fountaining eruption, and how it compares to single/circular sourced high fountains. This study included documentation and analysis of spatter ramparts, vent and shallow conduit geometries, and a… Show more Admitted to Candidacy August 2009. Succesfully defended Sept 26, 2012. Submitted revisions April 3, 2013. Degree conferred on May 11, 2013. Topic: Investigating the 1969 Mauna Ulu eruption. Specifically, documenting and understanding episode 1, a low hawaiian-style fissure fountaining eruption, and how it compares to single/circular sourced high fountains. This study included documentation and analysis of spatter ramparts, vent and shallow conduit geometries, and a density/vesicularity study.

• Graduate Research Assistant

  • Aug 2008 - Jul 2009

  Honolulu, Hi Started work under position as doctoral Candidate, but also completed required 30 credits of coursework (needed to begin Ph. D. with out having a masters). Successfully passed qualifying exam at the end of the second semester and the comprehensive exam at the beginning of the third semester.

• Undergradute Seismology Research Assistant

  • Aug 2007 - Jul 2008

  Honolulu Picked P and S wave arrival times for Dr. Cecily Wolfe from her PLUME experiment on Hawaiian earthquakes.

• Field Assistant

  • Jan 2008 - Jan 2008

  Antarctica Large-scale structural field mapping and petrological sampling of the Vanda Dike Swarm in the Wright, Taylor, and Victora dry valleys of Southern Victoria Land. Samples of many dikes (mafic to felsic) were taken for geothermometry, geobarometry, age dating, and chemical analysis (work split among 3 students and 3 professors).

• Mapping Field Assistant

  • Jul 2007 - Jul 2007

  Yosemite National Park Small-scale, highly-detailed structural mapping of sheeting joint crack traces with Dr. Steve Martel in 3 locations of curvature (dome, saddle, bowl) at Olmstead Point and Tenaya Canyon. Used tripod-mounted TOTAL station.

• Undergraduate Research Assistant

  • Oct 2004 - Jul 2007

  Honolulu, HI Started with a statistical analysis of lava tubes and lava channels of Olympus Mons, Mars. This evolved into the study of one particular lava channel, which flowed from from Alba Patera towards Olympus Mons. It is over 198 km long, on a ground slope of 1-2 degrees, a study of how the flow could have gone this distance on such shallow terrain formed my undergraduate thesis.