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Susan Hubbard

Susan Hubbard

Associate Lab Director

Earth & Environmental Sciences

Building 084, Room 322

M/S 74R316C

Phone: 510-486-5266

Fax: 510-486-5686

[email protected]

Map

Curriculum Vitae

  • Researcher ID
  • Google Scholar
  • Publication listing
  • Education
  • Experience
  • Awards
  • Professional Affiliations
  • Boards & Committees
  • Large Initiatives and Team Projects (Select)
  • Editorial Roles
  • Professional Service (Select)
  • Media

Biography

Associate Laboratory Director & Sr. Scientist, Berkeley Lab

As the Associate Lab Director for Earth & Environmental Sciences Area at Berkeley Laboratory Dr. Susan Hubbard leads a premier organization of ~500 staff and affiliates with expertise in climate and ecosystem sciences and energy geosciences. This organization is focused on tackling some of the most pressing environmental and energy challenges of the 21st Century. Dr. Hubbard is also a Senior Scientist at Berkeley Lab and an Adjunct Professor at UC Berkeley.

Hubbard’s research focuses on quantifying how complex environmental systems function,  Her particular emphasis is on the development of geophysical approaches to remotely sense hydrological, geochemical, biological and geomechanical processes; how these processes couple over scales; and how the integrated processes govern water availability, water quality, carbon cycling, agriculture and subsurface geological system behaviors. She is recognized for her contributions to the development of the field of hydrogeophysics.

Susan Hubbard is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Geophysical Union, and the Geological Society of America. Dr. Hubbard’s awards include the Society of Exploration Geophysicists Frank Frischknecht Award; the Society of Exploration Geophysicists Harold Mooney Award; the American Institute of Hydrology Robert G. Wetzel Award; and the Geological Society of America Birdsall Dreiss Distinguished Lecturer Award.

Dr. Hubbard earned her Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley, an MS in geophysics from Virginia Tech and a BS in geology from UC Santa Barbara. She has been recognized as a Distinguished Alumna of her graduating departments at UC Berkeley and UC Santa Barbara. Prior to joining Berkeley Lab, she was a geologist at the US Geological Survey and a geophysicist in industry.

Hubbard is committed to efforts to increase diversity and foster equity and inclusion for women and underrepresented groups in STEM, and to the development of early-career scientists. She has served widely on advisory and editorial boards and serves as a leader or advisor on many initiatives and large team projects.

Social Media

Publications

  • Researcher ID
  • Google Scholar
  • Publication listing

Research Interests

Dr. Hubbard's research focuses on advancing the use of geophysical methods for shallow subsurface characterization and monitoring and the use of integrated datasets to investigate environmental problems. She edited the first book on hydrogeophysics, and has published over 150 papers on this topic. She is the founder of the Berkeley Lab Environmental Geophysics group, which has expertise in hydro/biogeophysics, remote sensing, novel sensors, petrophysics, inversion and machine learning approaches. Susan Hubbard’s research can be generally categorized into the following five areas:

  • Watershed and Environmental System Science activities include those that strive to advance research across disciplinary boundaries and scales as needed to tackle 21st Century natural resource problems.
  • Hydrogeophysics & Biogeophysics focuses on the experimental, numerical and field investigations to advance the use of geophysical methods for quantifying hydrological and biogeochemical properties and processes.
  • Biogeochemistry and Biogeophysics quantifying microbial and biogeochemical processes relevant to terrestrial system behavior and contaminant remediation, including the use of time-lapse geophysical datasets.
  • Permafrost Geophysics & Carbon Cycle research focuses on characterizing active layer and permafrost variability in vulnerable Arctic ecosystems and on monitoring biogeochemical changes associated with freeze-thaw processes and carbon degradation.
  • Precision Agriculture/Viticulture research focuses on integrating remote sensing and ground-based geophysical datasets with soil, plant, and climate-based information to guide the optimal development of new or management of existing vineyards and other crops in a manner that honors the natural variability of the site.

Education

  • Ph.D. Engineering, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, 1998, Dissertation: Stochastic Characterization of Hydrogeological Properties using Geophysical Datasets. Award: University Council on Water Resources Top Dissertation Award in Water Processes.
  • M.S. Geophysics, Dept. of Geological Sciences, VPI&SU, Virginia Tech, 1990, Thesis: Integrated seismic reflection data processing and interpretation of Southern Appalachian tectonic history.
  • B.S. Geology, Dept. of Geology, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1985, Departmental Highest Honor Award.
  • Professional Certificate, University of California, Davis, 2009, Winemaking and Viticulture

Experience

  • Associate Laboratory Director, Earth & Environmental Sciences Area (EESA), LBNL, 2015-Present
  • Adjunct Professor, Environmental Science, Policy and Management (ESPM), UC Berkeley, 2018-Present
  • Director, Earth Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), 2013-2015
  • Deputy Director for Science, Earth Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), 2010-2013
  • Senior Scientist, LBNL-ESD/EESA, 2010-Present
  • Associate Director, UC Berkeley Water Center, 2007-2010
  • Lead, Environmental Remediation & Water Resources Program, LBNL, 2004-2010
  • Lead, Environmental Geophysics Group, LBNL, 2003-Present
  • Scientist, LBNL, 1998-2010
  • Geophysicist, ARCO Oil and Gas Co., 1990-1993
  • Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Branch of Seismology, 1985-1987

Awards

  • National Academy of Engineering, Elected Member, 2020
  • American Academy of Arts & Sciences, Elected Fellow, 2019
  • American Institute of Hydrology Robert G. Wetzel Award on Water Quality, 2019
  • Distinguished Alumni, UC Santa Barbara Earth Sciences Department, 2019
  • Alameda County Women's Hall of Fame, Science Award, 2019
  • American Geophysical Union, Elected Fellow, 2017
  • Hal Mooney Award for Near Surface Geophysics, Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG), 2016
  • Distinguished Alumni, Civil & Environmental Engineering Academy, UCB, 2014
  • Distinguished Technical Communication Award, Society for Technical Communication, 2014
  • Outstanding 'Women @ The Lab', 2013
  • Geological Society of America (GSA) Fellow, 2011
  • GSA Birdsall-Dreiss Distinguished Lecturer, 2010
  • Frank Frischknecht Leadership Award, Near Surface Geophysical Society, 2009
  • Top Associate Editor Award, Journal of Hydrology, 2009
  • The Leading Edge of Exploration 'Most Influential Article' Recognition, 2008
  • Dissertation Award in Water Processes, Univ. Council on Water Resources, 1998
  • Cooper Award for Appalachian Research Advances, Virginia Tech, 1990
  • Aubrey E. Orange Award for Excellent scholastic achievement, Virginia Tech, 1988
  • Top Geological Sciences Major Award, UC Santa Barbara, 1986
  • Outstanding Senior in Geological Sciences Chevron Award, UC Santa Barbara, 1985
  • Outstanding Woman in Petroleum, Ventura County Scholarship, 1984
  • Outstanding Junior in Geological Sciences Union Oil Award, UC Santa Barbara, 1984

Professional Affiliations

  • National Academy of Engineering
  • American Geophysical Union (AGU)
  • American Academy of Arts & Sciences (AAA&S)
  • The Geological Society of America (GSA)
  • Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG)
  • American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS)
  • American Association for Women in Science
  • Soil Science Society of America

Advisory Boards, Committees, and Councils

  • Chair, Governance Board, National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI Hub), 2020-present
  • Member, Dept of Energy BER-Env. System Science Cyberinfrastructure Partnership Board, 2018-2019
  • Member, Berkeley Superfund Research Program External Advisory Board, UC Berkeley, 2016-present
  • Council Member, Director's Council, UC Water, 2015-present
  • Member, Advisory Board, IDEAS: Interoperable Design of Extreme-scale Application Software, 2015-2019
  • Council Member, California Council of Science and Technology, CCST, 2015-2020
  • Advisory Board Member, EPSCoR - Radionuclide Waste Disposal, Clemson University, 2014-2019
  • Member, Civil and Environmental Engineering Dept. Advisory Board, UC Berkeley, 2016-2019
  • Member, Arctic Data Center Scientific Advisory Board, 2016-2019
  • Member, International Soil Modeling Consortium Advisory Board, 2017-2019
  • Sr. Advisor, Advanced Simulation Capability for Environmental Management (ASCEM), DOE, 2014-2017
  • Terrestrial Environment Program Review Committee, Helmoltz Association, 2013
  • DOE Resources Engineering Review Committee, Stanford, 2012
  • SmartGeo NSF IGERT Scientific Advisory Board, Colorado School of Mines, 2011
  • DOE Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee, BERAC, 2010-2015
  • Environmental Management Technical Experts Group (TEG), DOE, 2010
  • Forschungszentrum Julich German National Laboratory Advisory Board, 2006

Large Initiatives and Team Projects (Select)

  • NAWI (National Alliance for Water Innovation) Hub-Chair of Governance Board, 2019-
  • Watershed Function Scientific Focus Area, PI, 2007-
  • Next Generation Ecosystem Experiment-Arctic (NGEE-Arctic), co-PI, 2011-
  • DOE SubTER (Subsurface Technology and Engineering Research, Development and Demonstration) Crosscut, co-chair, 2014-2017
  • Water-Energy Resilience Initiative Berkeley Lab, Sr. Advisor, 2015-
  • Microbes to Biomes (M2B) Initiative, Berkeley Lab, Sr. Advisor, 2013-

Editorial Roles

  • Associate Editor, JGR-Biogeosciences, 2010-Present
  • Special Issue Editor, Vadose Zone Journal, GPR Methods, 2008
  • Co-Editor, Vadose Zone Journal, 2007-2013
  • Associate Editor, Journal of Hydrology, 2007-2010
  • Special Issue Editor, Water Resources Research - Hydrological Synthesis, 2006
  • Special Issue Editor, Vadose Zone Journal - Hydrogeophysics, 2004
  • Associate Editor, Water Resources Research, 2001-2006

Professional Service (Select)

  • Chair-Elect, AAAS Hydrospheric and Atmospheric Committee, 2020-present
  • National Academy of Engineering Search Committee, 2020-present
  • California Council of Science and Technology (CCST) Board of Directors Program Committee, 2020-present
  • External Advisory Committee, Manaaki Whenua Landcare, New Zealand Natl. Lab, 2020
  • Nominations Committee, American Geophysical Union, 2019-present
  • Steering Committee, Interagency Conference on Research in Watersheds (ICRW), 2019-2020
  • Nominations Committee, Geological Society of America, 2018-2020
  • California AB1281 Produced Water Executive Committee, CCST, 2018-2019
  • California Water-Data AB1755 Governance & Funding Executive Committee, 2018
  • Organizer, Collaborative Watershed Science Workshop, Crested Butte, CO, 2018
  • Organizer, Open and Transparent California Water Data Capstone Workshop, Berkeley, 2017
  • Co-Lead, DOE-BER Subsurface Biogeochemistry Workshop, Washington, DC, 2017
  • Co-Organizer, Environmental Knowledgebase Workshop, BIDS, Berkeley, 2017
  • Co-Chair, DOE Basic Research Needs Workshop Water-Energy, Washington, DC, 2016
  • Panel Lead and Writer, DOE Basic Research Needs for Environmental Mgmt (Workshop Report), 2015
  • Technical lead for DOE Subsurface Science, National Laboratory Engagement Day, Washington DC, 2015
  • Committee Member, UC-DOE Water-Energy Nexus Western US Workshop: Designing Water Utilities Of the Future and the Role of Energy Utilities, 2015
  • LBNL Lead, UC Global Food Initiative (J. Napolitano initiative), 2014-2016
  • Co-lead, National Subsurface DOE ‘crosscut’. Involves DOE, 13 National Labs, Universities, industry and stakeholders to develop a program plan to enable adaptive control of subsurface fractures, reactions and flow, as needed to transform the use of subsurface resources for both energy production and energy waste storage., 2014-2018
  • Session Chair, Rock and Fluid Physics Conference, Shell Technology Center, Amsterdam., 2014
  • Conference Co-Chair, Complex Soil Systems SSSA/Bouyoucos Conference, Berkeley, CA., 2014
  • Session Chair, Geophysical Characterization of Permafrost Systems, Fall AGU, San Francisco, CA., 2012
  • Lead Author, Technology Innovation ‘Virtual Laboratory’ Report, Response to Dr. Bill Brinkman request to DOE-BERAC (DOE/SC-0156), 2012
  • Contributor, DOE-EM Long-Range Deep Vadose Zone Program Plan (DOE/RL-2010-89, 2011), 2011
  • Co-author, DOE-SC “Grand Challenges for Biological and Environmental Research: A Long Term Vision” (DOE/SC-1035, 2010), 2010
  • Co-author and workshop co-lead, DOE-BER “Complex System Science for Subsurface Fate and Transport” (DOE/SC0123, 2010), (Workshop Report), 2010
  • Session Chair, Computational Methods in Water Res., Barcelona, June 2010
  • Session Chair, Goldschmidt conference, Session Chair Knoxville, TN, June 2010
  • Co-author, DOE-EM Scientific Opportunities to Reduce Risk in Groundwater and Soil Remediation (PNNL-18516), 2010
  • Co-organizer, Computational Methods in Water Resources XVII, San Francisco, CA., 2008
  • Co-organizer, AGU Chapman Conference Biogeophysics, Portland Maine, 2008
  • Contributor, presenter- DOE BES Basic Research Needs for Geosciences: Facilitating 21st Century Energy Needs, 2006
  • Organizer, Coupled Processes Meeting (View photo), LBNL, 2003
  • Chair, Coupled Processes DOE Subsurface Science Session, EMSP, WA, 2003
  • Co-Organizer, Hydrogeophysics Advanced Study Inst., (View photo), Czech Republic, 2002
  • Breakthroughs in Field Scale Bacterial Transport, Fall AGU, San Francisco, CA, 2000

Media

  • Watershed Video, 4D Digital Watershed - Watershed Function SFA, 2020
  • Watershed Video, Nitrogen Worlds - Watershed Function SFA, 2019
  • Watershed Video, Plants as Sensors - Watershed Function SFA, 2019
  • Watershed Video, Introduction - Watershed Function SFA, 2019
  • Genomes to Watershed video, December 2014
  • Arctic research video story, PBS KQED 'Deep Look', The Hidden Perils of Permafrost, December 2014
  • Arctic research media highlight, UCB Engineering: The underground: Studying the Arctic tundra, Innovations, February Issue, 2014
  • Arctic research media highlight, 'Witness the Arctic', Arcus Highlight, 2013
  • Arctic geophysical research media highlight, 'Imaging Permafrost', PNAS highlight on NGEE Geophysical Efforts, 2013
  • Video, Susan Hubbard, YouTube Video describing NGEE project, 2013
  • Video Enhanced Microbial Hydrocarbon Recovery, Susan Hubbard EBI video, 2013
  • Arctic research media highlight, Science Today, March 12, 2012
  • Arctic research, NGEE field blog
  • Arctic research media highlight, 'Permafrost Science Heats up in the U.S.', Nature News, December 19, 2011
  • Precision agriculture media highlight, Wine Enthusiast, 'Water into Wine', May 2009
  • Precision agriculture media highlight, The Toronto Star, December 2004
  • Precision agriculture media highlight, Vitaviniccultura, Chile, October 23, 2004
  • Precision agriculture media highlight, Science News, May 29, 2004
  • Precision agriculture media highlight, New York Times, April 15, 2004
  • Precision agriculture media highlight, Yahoo News, April 2004
  • Precision agriculture media highlight, California Agriculture, Vol. 58, Number 1, January 2004
  • Precision agriculture media highlight, The Daily Cal, Berkeley, 2004
  • Precision agriculture media highlight, 'Il buon vino? Lo sceglie il radar', Corriere, Italy, 2004
  • Precision agriculture media highlight, The Economist, December 18, 2003
  • Precision agriculture media highlight, 'Cat Scan your Soil, California Farmer Magazine, December 2003
  • Precision agriculture media highlight, 'Radar fur die Reben', Der Spiegel, Germany, December 2003
  • Precision agriculture interview and science story, TECH TV, November 18, 2003
  • Precision agriculture media highlight, 'Radar in the Vineyard', Wine Business Monthly, Volume X, No. 11, p.35, November 2003
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