Susan S. Hubbard

Hubbard was inspired to work in science in an effort to understand the interactions and feedbacks of humans and the Earth.[1] She studied geology at the University of California, Santa Barbara.[1] She moved to Virginia Tech for her graduate studies, where she earned a master's degree in geological sciences. Her early research considered seismic reflection data from the Southern Appalachians.[2] Hubbard joined the University of California, Berkeley for her doctoral research, where she worked in hydrogeology, and completed her doctorate in 1998.[3] During her doctoral studies Hubbard worked at the United States Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California.

After earning her doctorate, Hubbard was appointed a research scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She was made Associate Laboratory Director of the Earth Sciences Division at Berkeley Lab in 2013.[4] Her research looks to advance the use of geophysics for subsurface characterisation, using integrated datasets to understand the environment.[5] In particular, Hubbard attempts to quantify the dynamics of terrestrial systems.[6] She specialises in hydrogeophysics, in particular making measurements of hydraulic conductivity, lithology and moisture movement.[7] She used the measurement techniques that she acquired whilst working in the petroleum industry to better understand subsurface processes.[8][9] Hubbard has served as Head of the Berkeley Laboratory Environmental Remediation and Water Resources Program.[10]

She is involved with the imaging of permafrost[11] and monitoring of biogeochemical processes using surface geophysical data.[12][13] To characterise the permafrost, Hubbard travelled around the Arctic on skis using a ground-penetrating radar device.[11] These observations help to establish how permafrost impacts carbon cycles and the balance of energy in the polar regions of Earth.[12][14] Hubbard visits the same places throughout the year to understand seasonal changes to permafrost, and attempt to understand how climate change will influence its future.[11] Within the permafrost there is a thin surface layer (the active layer) that freezes and thaws, resulting in a dynamic habitat for microbes.[11]

Alongside her academic research, Hubbard is involved with winemaking.[23][24][25] In 2009 she earned a Professional Certificate in Winemaking at the University of California, Davis. Her viniculture is inspired by her understanding of geophysics, using experimental research to improve the yield of grapes whilst reducing the use of water and fertiliser.[26][27][28] She has studied the wine of the Mila Family vineyard using soil-pit samples, ground-penetrating radar and neutron probe analysis.[29]