My research concerns the evolution of magma within the Earth’s crust and how its path to the surface triggers volcanic eruptions. I use a combination of field volcanology, igneous petrology, kinetics, microscopy and fluid dynamics to address the fundamental problem of how volcanoes work.  
My current focus is on mafic volcanism - from channel development in Hawaiian lava flows to volcanic ash formation in eruptions from Hawaiian, Icelandic, Italian, Latin American and Pacific Northwest (US) volcanoes. I continue, however, to pursue questions related to intermediate to silicic volcanism, particularly at Mount St. Helens, USA.