Michelle Coombs
American geologist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michelle Lynn Coombs is a geologist at the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO). She was the Scientist-in-Charge from 2016 to 2023.[1][2] Coombs is a fellow of the Geological Society of America.[3]
University of Alaska Fairbanks (PhD)
Dr. Michelle L. Coombs Ph.D. | |
|---|---|
Coombs pictured in 2016 | |
| Title | Geologist and Past SIC (AVO) Affiliate Faculty (UAF) |
| Academic background | |
| Education | Williams College (BA) University of Alaska Fairbanks (PhD) |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | Alaska Volcano Observatory |
| Website | www |
Education
- 1994: B.A. Geology (Williams College)
- 2001: Ph.D. Geology (University of Alaska Fairbanks)[4]
Personal life
Career
Coombs was the Scientist-in-Charge (SIC) of AVO from 2016 to 2023.[10] As the SIC, she was in charge of coordinating emergency responses to volcanic eruptions, and guides the process of monitoring volcanic activity in Alaska.[11] She is frequently quoted in the news as a subject-matter expert on volcanoes in and around Alaska.[12] As the SIC, she was also the main contact from the media to AVO. Dr. Matthew Haney became the new SIC of AVO in August 2023, succeeding Coombs.[13][14]
She is the second woman in AVO history to serve as the Alaskan SIC, as Terry Keith held the position from 1994–99.[15] When she became SIC in 2016, she was one of 3 women serving as a Scientist-in-Charge of a USGS-operated Volcano Observatory, but as of March 2023, she was the only one.[16]
She has worked with the AVO since 2004, before which she worked for the USGS's Volcano Hazards Program out of Menlo Park, California;[16][17] which she joined after completing her Ph.D.[7]
While Coombs was in college, she was a field assistant to Judy Fierstein. Once she began working at AVO, she became a mentee of Terry Keith and Tina Neal.[16]
Coombs was the advisor to a 2011 internship studying the 2006 eruption of Augustine Volcano.[18] She had previously co-edited a 2010 U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper on the eruption.[19]
Coombs has also been a participant of a volcanic eruptions workshop from the National Academies.[20]
Research
Coomb's main research focus is volcanology.[21] Much of her research is on volcanic geology in Alaska, but she has also published research on volcanoes in Hawaii,[22] and her doctoral dissertation was on Mount Desert Island, Maine.[23]
Coombs is an expert on the geology of the Aleutian Arc, having published extensively on it.[24]
In 2019, Coombs and a group of collaborators were awarded a NSF grant to model eruptions of Alaskan volcanoes.[25]
Affiliations
As well as currently being a fellow to the Geological Society of America (GSA), she stood on the Student Awards Committee for the American Geophysical Union (AGU) from 2011–2015.[26]
Coombs was an Associate Editor for the Bulletin of Volcanology (2013–2016), and was on the editorial board of Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (2007–2018).[24] She has also served as a Steering Committee member for the Community Network for Volcanic Eruption Response (CONVERSE).[27]