Michael Manga is a MacArthur Fellow (2005) and a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. Part of his work has been funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The award from the NSF suppored his studies of geological fluid mechanics and magma flow prior to eruptions. In 2003, he made Popular Science magazines second annual PopSci Billiant 10 list.[1] In November 2005, shortly after receiving the MacArthur, Manga made another list, the People's "Sexiest Man Alive" issue in which he admits that he agreed to be included because, "I wanted to get information out to people who wouldn't normally hear or see anything about science."[2]
His research interests include planetary science, fluid mechanics, hydrology, geodynamics, and physical volcanology.