Assoc ProfessorClaire Harnett

My research focus is primarily the numerical modelling of volcanic environments, and this has particularly focused so far on dynamic stability modelling in different volcanic contexts. My training lies in rock mechanics and I now work as a volcanologist, with a key focus on volcanic stability and hazard. Key research topics include: (1) Extrusion, growth, and internal structure of volcanic domes; (2) Dome collapse mechanisms and their resultant hazard; (3) Hydrothermal alteration during periods of quiescence and increased hazard outside of active eruptions; (4) Reactivation of quasi-static volcanic systems such as collapse calderas; and (5) Mechanical properties of volcanic rocks and their variability through time, space, and scale.

After joining UCD as an Ad Astra Fellow in 2019, I now work as an Associate Professor and lead the Geohazards Research Group. I supervise several PhD students whose projects span analogue modelling, numerical modelling, and field studies. I am also in the process of setting up a rock mechanics laboratory at UCD, for application to volcanic rocks but also broader civil engineering projects. I teach across several programmes including Earth Sciences and Civil Engineering, particularly contributing to the MSc in Environmental and Engineering Geoscience.

I am lead PI on over €2,800,000 of scientific funding. I am a PI on the successful €10 milion European Research Council Synergy Grant, titled ROTTnROCK: Assessing the role of hydrothermal alteration on volcano morphology, instability, and unpredictable volcanic hazards. I will lead the UCD team, alongside teams at GFZ (Berlin), EOST (Strasbourg), and UU (Uppsala) to combine remote sensing, rock physics, geochemistry, and computational modelling in the context of altered volcanoes. For more info, see here: rottnrock.eu