I study the deformation and fracture of glacier ice to understand the mechanisms governing future sea-level rise. My research spans scales from individual crevasses to continental ice sheets, using satellite radar, mechanical models, and statistical frameworks to reconcile observations of ice fracture and calving with theory.

More broadly, I am interested in fracture mechanics, remote sensing, time series decomposition, and stochastic models, and I’m increasingly focused on applying these quantitative tools to flood risk, early warning systems, and climate forecasting.

I also work at the intersection of geophysical monitoring and climate adaptation. I co-founded CryoCloud, a NASA-funded cloud computing platform for cryosphere scientists, and joined Adaptora to develop fiber-optic subsurface monitoring to help coastal communities, infrastructure operators, and regulators track ground deformation, subsidence, and environmental change in real time.

Below are some published papers and links to presentations:

Rates of sea‐level rise are highly sensitive to ice viscosity parameters in model benchmarks. Martin, D. F., Kachuck, S. B., Trevers, M., Millstein, J. D., Cornford, S. L., & Minchew, B. M. (2026). AGU Advances, 7(2), e2025AV001946.

47 years of large Antarctic calving events: Insights from extreme value theory. MacKie, E. J., Millstein, J., & Serafin, K. A. (2024). Geophysical Research Letters, 51(23), e2024GL112235.

Multi-decadal collapse of East Antarctica's Conger–Glenzer Ice Shelf. Walker, C. C., Millstein, J. D., Miles, B. W., Cook, S., Fraser, A. D., Colliander, A., ... & Fricker, H. A. (2024). Nature Geoscience, 17(12), 1240–1248.

Stability of ice shelves and ice cliffs in a changing climate. Bassis, J. N., Crawford, A., Kachuck, S. B., Benn, D. I., Walker, C., Millstein, J., ... & Luckman, A. (2024). Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 52(1), 221–247.

Ice viscosity is more sensitive to stress than commonly assumed. Millstein, J. D., Minchew, B. M., & Pegler, S. S. (2022). Communications Earth & Environment, 3(1), 57.