Haruko Murakami Wainwright

Biography

I am currently a tenure-track research scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. I received MS in nuclear engineering (2006), MA in statistics (2010), and PhD in nuclear engineering (2010) at University of California, Berkeley. My initial research interest was to investigate the environmental impact of nuclear waste and nuclear weapon productions. My PhD dissertation focused on Bayesian geostatistical inverse modeling for subsurface characterization at the uranium-contaminated DOE Hanford site. Since then, I have broadened my research interest to various environmental problems, including Arctic ecosystem responses to climate change, groundwater contamination, and deep-subsurface CO₂ storage. In addition to working in many interdisciplinary projects, I am a deputy lead of the site application thrust in the Advanced Simulation Capability for Environmental Management project, leading the site application at the Savannah River Site F-Area. I am also in the leadership team of Institute for Resilient Communities, which aims to prepare communities for radiological and other disasters through research, education and outreach activities.

Research Interests

My research aims to improve understanding and predictions in Earth and environmental systems through mechanistic modeling and statistical data analysis. I have been developing a Bayesian hierarchical model and other statistical methods to integrate multi-type and multiscale datasets (including point measurements, geophysical techniques, and remote sensing data) for estimating spatially heterogeneous subsurface and ecosystem properties. In parallel, I have been developing large-scale numerical models to predict future risks of environmental contamination and geological CO₂ storage, and also to develop effective remediation and monitoring strategies.

I also work extensively at the interface of modeling and data analysis to better integrate complex models and datasets. I have developed and applied various mathematical methods for the data-model integration including inverse modeling, and sensitivity/uncertainty analysis methods. I implemented the global sensitivity analysis module within environmental software (iTOUGH2), and wrote a manual and introductory paper.

My research goal is to develop a framework to connect data and models in a seamless manner, and to create a feedback loop so that we can iteratively improve our system understanding and reduce the uncertainty in overall predictions. My current research covers various topics in Earth and environmental sciences:

Groundwater contamination and remediation: I am leading an effort to develop a three-dimensional flow and reactive transport model at the Savannah River Site F-Area, which is contaminated by low-level nuclear waste solutions. We are performing parameter estimation, and uncertainty/sensitivity analysis to better understand the system and quantify the uncertainty in predictions. The goal is to design effective remediation and cost-effective long-term monitoring strategies. Here is my video (Advanced Simulation Capability for Environmental Management)
Arctic ecosystem science: I have been characterizing various spatially heterogeneous properties critical to predict terrestrial feedbacks to climate change, including soil moisture, thaw depth, snow depth, vegetation dynamics, metal concentrations, and carbon fluxes. I have developed a Bayesian-based method and a cluster analysis-based method to integrate various datasets including point measurements, geophysics, and remote sensing data. Here is the highlight of the paper (Next Generation Ecosystem Experiment-Arctic)
Biogeochemical cycling: I have developed a Bayesian hierarchical model to integrate geophysical (induced polarization) and wellbore data for estimating spatially heterogeneous biogeochemical properties and identifying biogeochemical hotspots in a minimally invasive manner (Sustainable Systems Scientific Focus Area)
Radionuclide contamination after the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident: I have been developing a Bayesian geostatistical method to integrate multiscale datasets of radiation dose rates, including hand-held, car-borne and airborne surveys.
Geological CO₂ storage: Using a three-dimensional multiphase flow model, I have simulated the regional pressure increase and CO₂ plume migration at Southern San Joaquin Basin in California, USA (hypothetical scenarios). The simulation results are also being used to evaluate various risks, including leakage through faults and induced seismicity (National Risk Assessment Partnership)

Awards

2016 LBNL Early Career Achievement Award, 2016
2012 Director's Achievement Awards for Exceptional Tech Transfer Achievement (as a part of the TOUGH2 development team), 2012
TICOP young researcher travel grant award, 2012
TICOP NSF travel grant award, 2012
Student travel fellowship for the U.S. Department of Energy, Subsurface Biogeochemical Research 5th Annual PI Meeting, 2010
Student travel fellowship for the U.S. Department of Energy, Environmental Remediation Science Program 4th Annual PI Meeting, 2009
Roy G. Post Foundation Scholarship, 2009
Jane-Lewis Fellowship, 2006-2007; 2007-2008
Japan Atomic Energy Society, International Student Exchange Program, 2004

Advisory Boards, Committees, and Councils

Session Chair, American Geophysical Union (AGU), “Characterizing spatial and temporal variability of hydrological and biogeochemical processes across scales”, 2014-2016
Organizer, AGU, Town Hall Meeting, “A critical gap in data management: integration workflows for models and data”, 2015
Member, Diversity & Inclusion Working Group, LBNL, Earth & Environmental Area, 2015-present
Leadership Team, Institute for Resilience Communities, 2015-present
Member, Ecosystem Science Model-Data Integration Working Group, U.S. Department of Energy, 2015-present
Member, Division/Area Reorganization Working Group, LBNL, EESA- Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division, 2015-present
Lead, Digital Ecosystem Initiative Working Group, LBNL, EESA- Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division, 2015-present
Deputy Lead, Advanced Simulation Capability for Environmental Management project, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Management, 2014-present