Rate My Professor Michael Calkins

Michael A. Calkins is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he leads the Geophysical and Astrophysical Fluids (GAFD) Group. His research centers on geophysical and astrophysical fluid dynamics, exploring turbulent fluid motions in planetary interiors and atmospheres through numerical simulations, asymptotic theory, and computational methods. Calkins earned a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2010, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from UCLA in 2007, and a B.A. in Earth and Planetary Science with honors from the University of California, Berkeley in 2004. His career trajectory at CU Boulder includes an NSF EAR Postdoctoral Fellowship in Applied Mathematics from 2011 to 2013, a Postdoctoral Research Associate position in Applied Mathematics from 2013 to 2015, Assistant Professor in Physics from 2015 to 2023, and promotion to Associate Professor in 2023.

Calkins investigates rotating convection, dynamo theory, magnetohydrodynamics, and the generation of planetary magnetic fields, with applications to Earth's liquid outer core and other celestial bodies. Key publications include "Turbulence in Earth’s core generates large topographic torques on the mantle" (Communications Earth & Environment, 2025), "Puzzles in Planetary Dynamos: Implications for Planetary Interiors" (Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 2025), "Asymptotic behaviour of rotating convection-driven dynamos in the plane layer geometry" (Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 2022), "Numerical investigation of quasistatic magnetoconvection with an imposed horizontal magnetic field" (Physical Review Fluids, 2023), "A multiscale dynamo model driven by quasi-geostrophic convection" (Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 2015), and "The breakdown of the anelastic approximation in rotating compressible convection: implications for astrophysical systems" (Proceedings of the Royal Society A, 2015). He has produced over 36 peer-reviewed papers and secured grants such as the NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program award in 2020. Awards include the CU Boulder Outstanding Physics Teacher Award in 2018 and Outstanding Student Presentation Awards from the American Geophysical Union in 2010. Calkins teaches undergraduate physics courses like PHYS 3310 and PHYS 2210, mentors PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and undergraduates, and contributes to departmental committees, NSF review panels, and AGU session organization.