Jane Halfhill is a PhD student in the Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra at the Università di Pisa, specializing in computational modelling, volcanic hazards, and fluid dynamics. Her current research focuses on explosive phreatic scenarios for the Campi Flegrei, a restless caldera in southern Italy with an active history including hydrothermal and seismic events. By integrating subsurface imaging, 3D multiphase numerical simulations, and fieldwork, she aims to improve hazard assessments related to explosive events. Her work involves mapping the newly identified Santa Maria Delle Grazie eruption, collecting geologic data through lab work, and refining computational models to better predict the extent of pyroclastic flows and ballistic impacts. Through this research, Jane seeks to contribute to risk mitigation strategies for the densely populated areas surrounding the caldera.
In 2023, she was awarded a nine-month grant through the U.S. Student Fulbright Open Research Program at the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia - Sezione di Pisa with Dr. Mattia de' Michieli Vitturi to develop two- and three-dimensional models of the Campi Flegrei caldera, exploring pyroclastic density currents and phreatic scenarios. She earned her Master of Science in Geosciences from the State University of New York, University at Buffalo in 2023, with the thesis, "3D Tectonic Model of the Boso Triple Junction". In 2021, she completed her Bachelor of Science in Geology at Arizona State University. Beyond research, Jane volunteers weekly with Portofranco Pisa - a nonprofit tutoring service for high school students. In her free time, she enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and knitting.
RESEARCH INTEREST
- Volcanology
- Numerical Modelling
- Fieldwork
- Fluid Dynamics
Research project: Investigation of phreatic/hydrothermal explosive events as possible future eruptive scenarios at Campi Flegrei caldera.
Supervisors:
Dr Mattia de' Michieli Vitturi (INGV Pisa)
Professor Marco Pistolesi (DST-UNIPI)
Dr Roberto Isaia (INGV Osservatorio Vesuviano)
Jane Halfhill
Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra
Università di Pisa
Via Santa Maria 53
56126 Pisa
Italia