Personal profile

About

Contact
Phone: 310-338-7631
Email: [email protected]
Office: Seaver 115
Research lab: Seaver 102

Dr. Hawkins received her B.A. in physics from Occidental College in 2014. During her undergraduate studies, she conducted experimental research on cryovolcanic icy slurries at the nearby NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) with the Applied Low Temperature Physics Group. From her time at JPL, Dr. Hawkins gained a love for planetary physics and went on to earn her M.S. and Ph.D. in Geophysics and Space Physics at the University of California Los Angeles.

Dr. Hawkins’ research interests involve the experimental study of various geophysical and astrophysical fluid phenomena. Her ongoing work aims to constrain the fluid dynamics inside planets that generate and sustain global-scale magnetic fields. This work has important implications for the detection of life in our solar system and beyond, as a planet’s magnetic field protects it from lethal radiation emitted by the Sun or its host star. Dr. Hawkins is also interested in furthering our understanding of the potential habitability of icy moons by examining the unexplored connection between the fluid physics of global subsurface oceans and geologic surface observations.

In her spare time, Dr. Hawkins enjoys dancing, running, biking, and spending time outdoors with friends and family.