Research Group
Welcome to the VIBE Lab! If you are interested in joining our group, please get in touch!
Penny Wieser - PI - Assistant Professor
Penny is originally from the UK, getting her undergrad at Oxford and PhD in Cambridge, moving to Oregon for a postdoc in 2020, and then Berkeley in 2022. She is a volcanologist who loves microanalysis (EPMA, SEM, Raman spectroscopy, SIMS), and the development of open-source Python3 tools for the broader volcanological community. She also dabbles in aerosol chemistry when the oppertunity presents itself. When not at work, she can be found hiking the fire trails behind campus, or sailing down in the Berkeley Marina
Matthew Gleeson - Teaching Professor and Researcher
Matthew also got his undergrad and PhD at Oxford and Cambridge, before working as an editor for Nature Reviews Earth and Environment in 2020, and then undertaking a postdoc in Cardiff funded by the 1851 Research Fellowship between 2021-2022. He is interested in the Earth's mantle, geochemical modelling in Python3, and the development of SEM-based data processing techniques.
Charlotte DeVitre - Postdoctoral Scholar
Charlotte did her undergrad at the Universidad de Costa Rica, followed by a PhD at Cornell University. Her PhD specialized in melt inclusion analysis, including the development of a high pressure gas cell for high precision calibration of the relationship bewteen Raman splitting and CO2 density. At Berkeley, she is working on fluid inclusion barometry and building a second gas cell!
Alex Bearden - PhD Student
Alex is a 1st year PhD student from Kansas City, Missouri. His research interests fall within the realm of Physical volcanology, Igneous Petrology, and Geochemistry. He completed his undergraduate degree in Geology at the University of Missouri - Kansas City in 2021, where he researched maar volcanoes and phreatomagmatism. He did his master's at Kansas State University, where he determined the petrogenesis of slab tear magmatism in the Maclaren River volcanic field. At Berkeley, he is working on studying melt inclusions from Mauna Loa and constraining S isotope fractionation by sulfides. Outside of research, Alex is passionate about improving field and lab work accessibility for those with disabilities and serves as a student ambassador for the International Association for Geoscience Diversity.
Berenise Rangel - Undergraduate Researcher
Berenise Rangel is a third year undergraduate student majoring in Geology. She's originally from central California, but was raised in Michoacan, Mexico, which is where her roots derive from. Last summer she had the opportunity to study abroad in Italy in a program focused on the Volcanology of Europe. She realized she wanted to further her studies in the field of Petrology and conduct research as a volcanologist. She is conducting research for credit this semester, learning how to prepare and analyse fluid inclusions. One of her life goals is to travel the world and experience a diverse field of cultures, peoples, and geologic constructions. In her free time, she enjoys painting, journaling, and playing volleyball. She believes that the key to understanding the functionality of our planet is by being present and observant in the moment!
Recent Awards
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)
Charles Ramsden Research Fellowship
Mathematical & Physical Science (MPS) Scholar
Raela Richie- Undergraduate Researcher
Raela is a 3rd year undergraduate from Oakland, California. She is majoring in Geology and is primarily interested in researching active volcanoes. At the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa she used trace element analysis to model magma differentiation at Kīlauea volcano. At Berkeley, she is learning to use FIs to constrain the plumbing geometry of volcanic systems. In her free time she enjoys hiking, cooking and exploring coffee shops.
Recent Awards
AWG Geoscience IDEA Scholarship
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)
Charles Ramsden Research Fellowship
Mathematical & Physical Science (MPS) Scholar
East Bay Mineral Scholarship
JR Academy
Lupin - Chief distractor, disruptor of Croquet games
Lupin was rescued from Berkeley Animal Care Services, June 2023. He likes to cause trouble, and distract Penny when she tries to edits papers in the garden with his ball. He is 100% big dog (Anatolian Shepherd, German Shephard, Alaskan Malamute, Great Pyrenean)