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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 opportunity presents itself. When not at work, she can be found hiking the fire trails behind campus, or sailing and wingfoiling down at the Berkeley Marina
contact: penny_wieser at berkeley.edu
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.
contact: gleesonm at berkeley.edu
Annika Dechert - Postdoc (July 2025-Present)
Annika is a postdoc originally from Wyoming. She attended undergrad at Occidental College and then completed her PhD at the University of Oregon. At UO, she completed an interdisciplinary study of the Three Sisters Volcanic Complex in central OR to better understand the active magmatic system. In the VIBE lab, she is growing her volcanology toolkit by studying melt inclusions from Glacier Peak and South Sister volcanoes in the Cascades to better understand their magma storage. Outside of the lab, you can find Annika playing volleyball, walking her dog Melee, or working on an embroidery project.
See more at Annika’s website: https://annikadechertvolcanoes.wordpress.com/
Contact: adechert at berkeley.edu
Charlotte (Charlie) Gordon
Charlie grew up in the far north of Scotland before doing a 5-year integrated masters at the University of St Andrews and a PhD at the University of Cambridge. She enjoys picking apart petrological mysteries via careful fieldwork, petrographic observations, and SEM analysis. She specialises in electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis of igneous microstructures, and is currently exploring the complex histories of crystal clusters from volcanoes in the Cascades Arc. Charlie also enjoys painting fantasy creatures and getting distracted by moss while hiking.
You can contact Charlie at:
c.gordon at berkeley.edu
Alex Bearden - PhD Student
Alex is a 3rd year PhD candidate 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.
See more at Alex's website: https://sites.google.com/view/alex-bearden
You can contact alex at alex_bearden at berkeley.edu
Sarah Shi - PhD student
Sarah is a 2nd-year PhD student in EPS at Berkeley from New York, NY. She earned her BA from Columbia University and her MPhil at the University of Cambridge. Sarah’s research interests amalgamate igneous petrology, data science, and machine learning for minerals and melts. She is passionate about developing open-source tools that enable the reproducible processing of microanalytical data and the reliable quantification of uncertainties. Her current research focuses on using probabilistic classifiers to classify minerals from their chemistry.
See more at Sarah's website. https://sarahshi.github.io/
You can contact Sarah at Sarah.Shi at berkeley.edu
Caroline Hasler - PhD student
Caroline is a 3rd-year Ph.D. student at UC Berkeley. She obtained a B.Sc. in Physics from ETH Zurich, where she conducted undergraduate research on the cosmogenic nuclide dating of sediments. In her graduate research, she studies major magmatic events in Earth history using U/Pb and Ar/Ar geochronology. She is doing a second project in the VIBE lab using fluid inclusion Raman barometry to probe the magmatic plumbing system of Mauna Kea. In her free time, Caroline enjoys running, reading, and hiking. She also moonlights as a freelance science writer for the American Geophysical Union’s magazine Eos.
you can contact Caroline at caroline_hasler at berkeley.edu
Hengrui Zhu - Visiting Ph.D. Student
Hengrui is originally from China; he is a 3rd-year Ph.D. student from Zhejiang University. He will be a visiting Ph.D. student at UC Berkeley from 2025 to 2026. In his research, he investigates the magmatic plumbing systems of oceanic Large Igneous Provinces. Currently in the VIBE lab, he applies fluid inclusion Raman barometry to probe the magmatic system beneath the Walvis Ridge. In his free time, Hengrui enjoys running, cooking, and mobile gaming.
you can contact Henry at hengrui at berkeley.edu
Isabelle Susman - Undergraduate Researcher
Isabelle is a 4th year student studying Environmental Earth Science in EPS. Originally from South Africa, she is interested in physical volcanology and igneous petrology. For the last three years, she has been exploring isolated vesicularity in submarine pumice from the Hellenic Arc. Starting this Summer, she has been exploring magma Storage depths underneath T’aū, American Samoa with the VIBE lab. She hopes to pursue a masters degree in the UK in 2026, and go on to a PhD in the future. Outside of research, Isabelle enjoys hiking, traveling, reading, and relaxing at home in South Africa with her dogs.
Natasha Bawankule - Undergraduate Researcher
Natasha is a junior majoring in geology from Mumbai, India. She entered the world of research through paleomagnetism, and her interests now also include igneous petrology, geochemistry, and planetary science. At Berkeley, she is investigating the magma storage system beneath Kīlauea’s southwest rift zone using fluid inclusion barometry and working on improving SEM-EDS-based diffusion chronometry. Outside of research, she enjoys playing the piano, creating art, reading, and playing basketball.
Natasha Tiwari
Natasha is a sophomore majoring in Geophysics and Applied Math at UC Berkeley. She first became involved in research by examining how micro fractures evolve during serpentinization. Currently, she is assisting with the search for fluid inclusions in Mauna Kea samples with Caroline to investigate magma storage conditions, and she is exploring mechanisms by which the Chicxulub impact may have accelerated Deccan Traps volcanism with Prof. Mark Richards. Although Natasha enjoys exploring new research directions, her primary interests lie in volcanology with a particular interest in applying mathematical modeling to understand subsurface processes. In her free time, she loves listening to music, watching horror movies, sailing, painting, and discovering new creative hobbies.
Ni Made Oryza Danena (goes by Oryza)
Born and raised in Bali, Indonesia, Oryza is a freshman majoring in Geology. She joined the world of research in Berkeley through the VIBE Lab, working with Annika Dechert to analyze melt inclusions from Glacier Peak volcano. She is very excited about volcanology and geochemistry, especially on the subsurface chemical processes and how volcanoes preserve all of their information. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting, baking, and travelling!
See more at oryzadanena.com
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)
Alumni
Charlotte DeVitre - Postdoc (Sept 2022 - Aug 2025).
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. During her postdoc at Berkeley, she build our gas cell, and worked on validating the fluid inclusion method, using Cabo Verde and Hawaiian volcanoes to test the method. She is now an assistant professor at UOttowa in Canada.
Find more at her website -https://sites.google.com/berkeley.edu/cldevitre
Raela Richie- Undergraduate Researcher (2022-2025)
Raela graduated in 2025 with honors. At Berkeley, she worked in the VIBE lab for 3 years studying FI at Kilauea and Kamaʻehuakanaloa 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
Berenise Rangel - Undergraduate Researcher (2022-2024)
Berenise Rangel worked in the VIBE lab during her 3rd and 4th year at Berkeley + 2 summers, including an honours thesis. She worked on determining magma storage conditions beneath Mauna Loa using fluid inclusions. She's originally from central California, but was raised in Michoacan, Mexico, which is where her roots derive from. 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! She is now working for a geothermal drilling company.
Awards
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)
Charles Ramsden Research Fellowship
Mathematical & Physical Science (MPS) Scholar
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