I operate the Planetary Research, Earth and Space Science, Undergraduate Experience (PRESSURE) lab, which serves as an undergraduate-centered research experience.  My research interests include, but are not limited to, lava flow morphology and propagation, small-scale explosive eruptions and associated landforms, channels formed via thermomechanical erosion of lava, etc.  Furthermore, I am intrigued by volcanic processes on other planetary bodies with different ambient conditions than Earth.  I use a variety of methodologies, including analog experiments, modeling, and analysis of data obtained via spacecraft.

I am interested in the propagation and morphology of lava flows.  Specifically, I investigate how changes at the vent, flow composition, and rheology influence whether or not lava flows will advance or not*.  The "or not" does not imply an inactive flow, but instead can include processes such as flow inflation (i.e., the endogenic thickening of the flow).  Furthermore, thermomechanical erosion of the substrate by the heating and/or removal of material by flowing lava  remains a relatively understudied process.  Field evidence on Earth via outcrops and active lava tubes and numerous landforms on Mercury, Venus, the Moon, and Mars suggest that thermomechanical erosion is an importance process in the development of volcanic fields.  Understanding lava flow behavior is critical for hazards mitigation and planetary surface evolution.

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Pictured (right):  Piper Harring '25 presenting a pilot study of modeled lava flow eruption conditions on Mars at AGU 2024.