Noah Randolph-Flagg (方诺然)

Education    

2019                            Ph.D., Earth & Planetary Science, University of California at Berkeley;

advisor: Michael Manga

2011                             B.A., Geology, Carleton College, magna cum laude;

Certificate of Advanced Language Study in Chinese

2006                           Harvard Summer Session, Astrobiology and Political Philosophy

Work Experience

2023 - present Lecturer, “Environmental Geology”, UC Berkeley, CA

2021- present Scientist, Blue Marble Space at NASA Ames, Mountain View, CA

2019-2021                   NASA Postdoctoral Fellow, NASA Ames, Mountain View, CA,                                                      

Exobiology, supervisor: Tori Hoehler

2018                            Instructor, Planet Earth, Summer Session, UC Berkeley, CA

2013-2016                   Graduate Student Instructor, UC Berkeley
                                                 Planet Earth (2013)
                                                 Structural Geology (2015)
                                                 Stratigraphy and Earth History (2016)

2012-2018                    Pathways Intern, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Menlo Park, CA

Volcano Hazards, advisor: Shaul Hurwitz, Steve Ingebritsen

2010-2011                    Teaching Assistant, Carleton College
                                                 Geomorphology (2010)

                                                 Environmental Geology (2011)

2009-2011                    Hydrologic Technician, Volcano Hazards, USGS, Menlo Park, CA

Awards and Grants

2023 NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal

2019-2021                    NASA Postdoctoral Fellowship, NASA Ames

2017                             Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor, UC Berkeley

2015                             Outstanding Student Paper Award, talk, 2015 AGU Fall Meeting

2015                             NSF East Asia Pacific Summer Research Fellowship, Taiwan

2013-2016                    NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, Hydrology

2011-2012                    Fulbright Student Research Fellowship, Hydrology, Xi’an, China

2008                              Kolenkow-Reitz Fellowship for Undergraduate Research, Carleton College

Publications (students mentored indicated by *)

• Randolph-Flagg, N.G., Ely, T., Som, S., Shock, E., German, C., Hoehler, T. (2023) Phosphorus availability and implications for life on ocean worlds, Nature Communications, doi:10.1038/s41467-023-37770-9 [pdf].

• Abbey, A.L., Randolph-Flagg, N.G., de Villa, K.*, Shuster, D.L., (2023) Coupled isotopic and thermochronologic data with hydrothermal circulation models, yield insights into water-rock interactions and heat-flow around a small basaltic intrusion: Little Devils Postpile, Yosemite National Park, CA, USA, accepted at Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta.

• Self, S., Randolph-Flagg, N.G., Bailey, J., Manga, M. (2022) Erosional columns in ignimbrite deposits around Valles caldera, New Mexico, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, [pdf].

• Randolph-Flagg, N.G., Hernandez, A.*, Breen, S. Manga, M., Self, S. (2017) Erosional columns in the Bishop Tuff as relicts of hydrothermal cooling, Geology, doi: 10.1130/G39256.1, [pdf].

• Ingebritsen, S.E., Randolph-Flagg, N.G., Gelwick, K., Lundstrom, E.A., Crankshaw, I.M., Murveit, A.M., Schmidt, M.E., Bergfeld, D., Spicer, K., Tucker, D., Mariner, R.H. (2014) Hydrothermal Monitoring in a Quiescent Volcanic Arc: Cascade Range, Northwestern United States, Geofluids, doi: 10.1111/gfl.12079, [pdf].

• S.E. Ingebritsen, K.D. Gelwick, N.G. Randolph-Flagg, I.M. Crankshaw, E.A. Lundstrom, C.L. McCulloch, A.M. Murveit, A.C. Newman, R.H. Mariner, D. Bergfeld, D.S. Tucker, M.E. Schmidt, K.R. Spicer, A.R. Mosbrucker, and W.C. Evans (2013) Hydrothermal monitoring data from the Cascade Range, northwestern United States, USGS Data Release, doi:10.5066/F72N5088, [link].

Manuscripts in Review

• Randolph-Flagg, N.G., Price, A.*, Dickenson, K., Fisher, A., Sotin, C., Blackman, D., Meteorite sedimentation on ocean worlds, in review at Geophysical Research Letters.

• Fisher, A., Dickenson, K.*, Blackman, D., Randolph-Flagg, N.G., Dickinson, K. & Sotin, C. Outcrop-to-outcrop Hydrothermal Circulation under Ocean World Gravity Conditions, in revision at JGR: Planets.

Manuscripts in Prep

• Byrne, Dawson, Klimczak, Regensburger, … Randolph-Flagg., Europa’s Modern-Day Seafloor is Likely Mechanically Strong and Geologically Inert, in prep

• Randolph-Flagg, N.G., Self., S., Torres, R., Too hot to stop: Zombie pyroclastic flows in the decade after the 1991 Mt. Pinatubo eruption, in prep for Nature Geoscience.

• Randolph-Flagg, N.G., Manga, M., Hurwitz, S, Mittal, T., Clor, L., Howle, J, Peek, S. Water level changes in a well in Long Valley caldera, Eastern California induced by teleseismic waves, in prep at JGR: Solid Earth.

• Randolph-Flagg, N.G., Crummett, R.N.*, Saltiel, S., Muñoz-Saez, C., Long-term changes in hydrothermal systems after deglaciation, invited PNAS.

• Randolph-Flagg, N.G., Castro, R.*, Tiwari, N., Fendely, I., King, M. , Self, S., Mittal., T. , Et tu Etna: volcanism, climate, and death of Caesar, in prep.

Service and Public Outreach

• Member of steering committee, Network for Ocean Worlds (NOW) -- NASA Astrobiology Research Coordination Network

• Featured in PBS's Physics Girl YouTube video on Hawaiian Volcanism. ~7M views

• Bishop column research featured in ABC 10 Sacramento, LA Times, Washington Post, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Le Temps (French, Switzerland), Epoch Times (Chinese), Phys.org, The Sheet, Frankfurt General Newspaper (German), and West Hawaii Today.

• Graduate Student Representative (2014-2015) UC Berkeley, Dept. of Earth and Planetary Science

• Graduate Student Mentor (2012-2015) UC Berkeley New Experiences for Research & Diversity in Science (NERDS)

• “NOVA: World’s Deadliest Volcanoes,” PBS NOVA, WGBH Boston, 04 January 2012.

Skills and Interests

• English (native), Chinese (conversational)

• Experience with Python, R, MATLAB, Julia, Obspy, MSNoise, QGIS, EQ3/6, HYDROTHERM, Ash3D, HYSPLIT

• Competitive runner & triathlete.

Recent and Upcoming Conference presentation schedule (*student presenter)
2024 Astrobiology Conference (Providence)

• (Fisher et al., Mon) Low Gravity on Ocean Worlds Can Help to Sustain Low-to-Moderate Temperature Hydrothermal Circulation

• (talk, Weds) Where is sediment on Enceladus and what does it mean for life detection?

• (invited talk, Fri) Phosphate availability and implications for life on ocean worlds

• (Ely et al., Fri) The Fate of Silica Particles Within the Ocean of Enceladus

2023 AGU Fall Meeting (San Francisco)

• (talk, Friday) Phosphorus availability and implications for life on ocean worlds

2022 AGU Fall Meeting (Chicago)

• (talk, Thursday)Too hot to stop: Processes governing deposit-derived (zombie) pyroclastic density currents and ash clouds: examples from 1991-2000 at Mt. Pinatubo, Philippines

• (Mittal et al., Tuesday) Regimes of hydrothermal plumes on Icy Ocean Worlds

• (Crummett* et al., Thursday) Modeling the Effect of Glacial Loads on Hydrothermal Systems