Postdoctoral Scholars
Duncan Wheeler
Postdoctoral Scholar
Advisor: Becca Jackson
Area of Study: I am interested in using ocean observations to inform the development of new physics theories and idealized models in coastal systems. Additionally, I am interested in interdisciplinary work that uses the social sciences to identify how physical sciences can be done in a way that most effectively benefits society. For my PhD thesis, I studied the impacts of infragravity frequency waves on shallow estuaries through turbulent boundary layer dynamics and performed an interview based study of coastal physical oceanography professors to understand the cultural conflicts and challenges that academic researchers face.
At Tufts, I will be using observations from Greenland and Alaska to study ocean-glacier interactions in fjord systems. Ocean-glacier interactions form a large part of our uncertainty on how fast glaciers in the northern hemisphere retreat. By improving our understanding of the relevant dynamics, we can enable climate modelers to better predict future changes.
Rose Gallo
Postdoctoral Scholar
Advisor: Jill VanTongeren
Area of Study: I am interested in the processes that occur in magma chambers: how magmas interact and what happens during magma storage. I use the textural characteristics and major and trace chemistry of igneous rocks and minerals to investigate these subjects. My PhD focused on magma bodies within one of the rift zones of Kīlauea volcano. I investigated the chemical changes that magmas undergo between eruptions, syn-eruptive mingling processes, and a unique magma encountered in a geothermal borehole which I used to test the utility of common petrologic tools for inferring magma storage conditions.
At Tufts, I will be characterizing the chemical and textural features of the Dufek Intrusion, a Jurassic layered mafic intrusion in Antarctica. I hope to use new compositional information to model possible scenarios for the cooling history of the Dufek magma body.