Helen is a seismologist and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in the Geophysics and Tectonics research division.

Her research is focused on using seismic data to image the structure of the Earth’s crust and mantle, particularly at subduction zones and volcanoes. She uses a variety of seismic imaging techniques, and is currently focused on understanding relationships between structure and earthquake behavior at subduction zones, and constraining magmatic systems and transport beneath volcanoes. She is also involved in technique improvement and development for seismic data collected from ocean bottom seismometers, with particular application to broadband amphibious (onshore/offshore) deployments.

Her research currently includes geographic focus sites at the Cascadia, Alaska/Aleutian, and Vanuatu subduction zones, as well as Hawaiian volcanoes.