Erin Hightower
Address:
4800 Oak Grove Drive, M/S 300-323
Pasadena, CA 91109Curriculum Vitae:
Click hereMember of:
Sea Level And IceJPL Postdoctoral Fellow
Employed By
Caltech/JPL
Biography
I am a JPL Postdoctoral Fellow in the Sea Level and Ice Group whose research centers on the interactions between the solid-Earth, ice, and oceans. At JPL, I am investigating the influence of 3D lateral variations in Earth viscosity structure on the glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) process and its signal in geodetic datasets, particularly GRACE. I started my earth science journey with a background in geology and mathematics before shifting to geophysics for my PhD, where I studied the influence of geodynamic factors like mantle flow and GIA on intraplate stress, fault stability, and seismicity in eastern North America. I also conducted research on subduction tectonics and developed a Bayesian gravity inversion software for modeling 3D subsurface density structure. I am interested in growing my expertise in different geodetic techniques and datasets and the application of those data to informing our understanding of surface water mass balance and sea level rise, as well as geological, climatic, and coastal hazards. In addition to doing science, I enjoy baking, cooking, all things food and drink, and being outdoors.
Education
- Ph.D. in Geophysics, California Institute of Technology, 2023
- M.S. in Geophysics, California Institute of Technology, 2020
- B.A. in Geology and Mathematics, The Colorado College, 2016
Professional Experience
- JPL Postdoctoral Fellow, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 2024 - present
- Postdoctoral Researcher, Seismological Laboratory, Caltech, Jan. 2024 - Apr. 2024
- Staff Geologist/Geophysicist, Petralogix Engineering, 2016-2017
Community Service
- Graduate student instructor for the inaugural year of the Earthquake Fellows High School Summer Program at Caltech (2022)
- Graduate student mentor for a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow (SURF) at Caltech (2021)
Research Interests
- Glacial Isostatic Adjustment
- Solid-Earth-Ice-Ocean Interactions
- Sea Level
- Geohazards and Coastal Hazards
- Crustal Stress and Intraplate Seismicity
- Earth Rheology
- Mantle Convection and Tectonics
- Gravity
- Bayesian Statistics and Inverse Problems
- Expanding my knowledge of different remote sensing datasets
Selected Awards
- National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (2019-2023)
- Summa Cum Laude, Colorado College, 2016
- Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists Neal J. Harr Outstanding Student Award, 2016
Selected Publications
- Hightower, E., Mao, W., and Gurnis, M., Influence of Farallon Slab Loading on Intraplate Stress and Seismicity in Eastern North America in the Presence of Pre-Existing Weak Zones: Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems [in press]
- Hightower, E., Gurnis, M., and Van Avendonk, H. (2020), A Bayesian 3-D linear gravity inversion for complex density distributions: Application to the Puysegur subduction system: Geophysical Journal International, v. 223, p. 1899-1918.
- Shuck, B., Gulick, S.P., Van Avendonk, H., Gurnis, M., Sutherland, R., Stock, J., and Hightower, E. (2022), Stress transition from horizontal to vertical forces during subduction initiation: Nature Geoscience, v. 15, p. 149-155.
- Shuck, B., Van Avendonk, H., Gulick, S.P., Gurnis, M., Sutherland, R., Stock, J., Patel, J., Hightower, E., Saustrup, S., and Hess, T. (2020), Strike-slip enables subduction initiation beneath a failed rift: New seismic constraints from Puysegur Margin, New Zealand: Tectonics, v. 40, no. 5.
- Gurnis, M., Van Avendonk, H., Gulick, S.P., Stock, J., Sutherland, R., Hightower, E., Shuck, B., Patel, J., Williams, E., Kardell, D., Herzig, E., Idini, B., Graham, K., Estep, J., and Carrington, L. (2019), Incipient Subduction at the contact with stretched continental crust: The Puysegur Trench: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 520, p. 212-219.