Emily Chin

Emily Chin is an Associate Professor in the Geosciences Research Division at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego. Her research focuses on petrology, high-temperature geochemistry, and tectonic processes to investigate Earth's lithosphere. She studies mantle dynamics, continental crust evolution, and subduction zone geology. Her work integrates experimental, field, and analytical techniques to address questions about crustal formation, mantle interactions, and tectonic evolution.

• Education: PhD in Earth Science from Rice University (2013), BS from Tulane University (2008)
• Postdoctoral training at Brown University (2014-2016)

Key research areas include: (1) mantle petrology and cratonic lithosphere evolution; (2) non-plume intraplate volcanism in Baja California and the Mariana Trench; (3) water storage in cratonic mantle; (4) microstructural analysis of mantle and crustal xenoliths. She leads the SEM lab and co-manages the optical microscopy facility at SIO.

Her fieldwork includes NSF-funded expeditions to the Mariana Trench (2024) and Guadalupe Island (2024), studying mantle exposure and seamount origins. Teaching responsibilities include courses on petrology, geological history, and field methods.