James K. Muller

Hi, I'm James. Currently, I'm an Earth Science PhD candidate at Scripps Instition of Oceanography at UC San Diego, working under the direction of Dr. Emily J. Chin.

My research interests are rooted in answering a few basic questions about volcanoes that are, ultimately, motivated by reducing volcanic risk:

What melts to form magmas, and what causes this melting?
Why do volcanoes form where they do?
How do volcanoes behave when erupting, and why do they behave that way?

To tackle these problems, I use a combination of observations, data, and modeling. This generally involves terrestrial and sea-going* fieldwork to collect samples. I then analyze these rocks and minerals in the lab using techniques like scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDS), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and mass spectrometry (solution and laser ablation ICPMS). I'll also use tools like thermodynamic modeling software (e.g., Perple_X ) to recreate real rocks with computers.

Before arriving at SIO, I received an A.M. degree from Harvard, an M.A. degree with research thesis at Queens College-CUNY, and a B.A. from Pomona College, all in geology. I also worked for a time in the environmental industry in CT, NY, and CA.

*[UPPER LEFT] That's me, poking out from an immersion suit aboard R/V Thomas G. Thompson! Photo from expedition TN-438 with ROVs Jason II and Medea to the Mariana Trench. [TOP] Me, aboard ARM Mariano Matamoros (P117)] approaching Isla Guadalupe, Mexico, for fieldwork (May 2024).

CV

A PDF of my CV is available for download here.

Last update: January 2025

Education

PhD candidate, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego

Advisor: Emily J. Chin
A.M. (2019) Harvard University

Advisor: Charles H. Langmuir
M.A. (2016) Queens College, City University of New York

Advisor: Marc-Antoine Longpré

Thesis: “Tephrostratigraphy of the AD 1730–1736 Timanfaya eruption, Lanzarote, Canary Islands: Insights to the dynamics of large basaltic fissure eruptions”
B.A. (2013) Pomona College

Advisors: Jade Star Lackey, Richard W. Hazlett

Thesis: "Age and origin of the Malapai Hill Basalt, Joshua Tree National Park, CA, USA"
Field camp (2012) Frontiers Abroad, University of Canterbury, NZL

Publications

Muller, J.K., Chin, E.J. (in review) Young, enigmatic lavas from a fossil slab remnant beneath Baja California, Mexico. Geology.
Durkin, K., Castillo, P.R., Straub, S.M., Mallick, S., Saal, A. and Muller, J.K. (in press) Widespread contamination of the Pacific upper mantle during the mid-Cretaceous. Marine Geology, p.107460, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2024.107460.
Muller, J.K., Longpré, M.-A. (2024) Tephra dispersal and composition reveal the explosive onset of a large basaltic fissure eruption: Timanfaya, Lanzarote, 1730–1736 CE. Bulletin of Volcanology, v. 86, n. 38, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-024-01729-5.

Contact

You can find me in person or online at the following addresses:

PHYSICAL ADDRESS
James K. Muller
Sverdrup Hall 3139
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
UC San Diego
La Jolla, CA 92093-0212 USA
MAILING ADDRESS
James K. Muller
7835 Trade St., Suite 100
ATTN: Sverdrup Hall 3139
San Diego, CA 92121 USA
EMAIL/WEB
- jkmuller@ucsd.edu
- jkmgeo.github.io