In 1996, the Geochemical Society and the European Association of Geochemistry established the honorary title of Geochemistry Fellow, to be bestowed upon outstanding scientists who have, over some years, made a major contribution to the field of geochemistry. Recipients of the Goldschmidt, Patterson, EAG Science Innovation, Treibs, and Urey Awards become Fellows automatically.
Scientific excellence is a core value of both the Geochemical Society and European Association of Geochemistry, and it is our privilege, by rewarding it, to take a leading role in its definition. In awarding Geochemistry Fellows, our societies believe it is important to recognize the broad spectrum of scientific achievements that advance geochemistry. Excellence should not be limited to major discoveries and ideas that change paradigms, and not solely evaluated on the basis of the number of papers published in high-impact journals; the nominee's h-index and previously obtained distinctions; nor the amount of funding acquired. Instead, we recognize that scientific eminence, achievement, and impact also encompass sustained and proven contributions that create a dynamic environment essential for scientific progress.
Examples of these include:
- improvements to infrastructure and techniques;
- capacity building-especially in developing countries or emerging disciplines;
- curation of sample collections and databases of long-term scientific significance;
- exceptional editorial contributions;
- communication of the intrinsic excitement of our field to the general public;
- work with policy makers to ensure that their decisions are grounded in rigorous science;
- training the next generation of geochemists;
- and advancing ethics, inclusiveness, and social justice in science.
By recognizing the full diversity of the geochemical community and its many varied contributions we hope to provide a wide range of examples that young scientists can strive to emulate.
The Geochemical Society and European Association of Geochemistry are pleased to announce the 2026 Geochemistry Fellows
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Thomas Algeo -
Asfawossen Asrat Kassaye -
Gabriel J. Bowen -
David Catling -
Stephen Eggins -
Keiko Hattori -
Tomoo Katsura -
Xian-Hua Li -
Robert Mason -
Jill Pasteris -
Elisabetta Rampone -
Steven Rowland -
Max W Schmidt -
Weidong Sun -
Martin Van Kranendonk -
Ray F Weiss
Thomas Algeo
University of Cincinnati
Thomas Algeo is recognized for his transformative contributions to sedimentary and paleoenvironmental geochemistry including pioneering quantitative paleoredox proxies and bold synthesis linking Earth’s chemical and biological evolution, and for exemplary editorial leadership, mentorship, and international collaboration that have profoundly advanced the global geochemical community.
Asfawossen Asrat Kassaye
Botswana International University of Science & Technology
Prof. Asfawossen Asrat is nominated for his significant contributions to our understanding of the Quaternary paleoenvironment and paleoclimate of eastern Africa using geochemical proxies in natural archives, for building research capacity, and for championing the development of geoparks for the benefit of society through geotourism and geoeducation.
Gabriel J. Bowen
University of Utah
Gabriel Bowen has made ground-breaking contributions to our understanding of Earth’s water and carbon cycles and their response to greenhouse gas-forced warming through building of global water isotope databases, the development of integrated spatial mapping tools and process-based models, and their application to critical hydrological, ecological, atmospheric, societal, and paleoclimate questions.
David Catling
University of Washington
David Catling has made fundamental contributions to understanding the co-evolution of Earth’s environment and its biota. His keen insights shine new light on the crucial role of free oxygen in the evolution of life and of how the early environment may have sparked the origin of life.
Stephen Eggins
The Australian National University
Stephen Eggins is an outstanding geochemist and leader who has produced innovative research contributions across multiple disciplines while also being an exemplary mentor to his students and colleagues.
Keiko Hattori
University of Ottawa
Keiko Hattori has an extraordinary career examining the transfer of volatiles and metals in subduction zones, and relating magmatic hydrothermal activity to metal deposits. She’s internationally recognized for advancing those disciplines throughout her career and continues to inspire future generations of scientists.
Tomoo Katsura
University of Bayreuth
Tomoo Katsura pioneered high-pressure studies of chemical and physical properties of mantle materials with technical developments of a multi-anvil apparatus and clarified the main phase transitions of major mantle minerals and the causes of seismic discontinuities in the mantle.
Xian-Hua Li
Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Professor Xian-Hua Li has driven pioneering technological and analytical innovations in geochemistry and applied these to advance understanding of major geoscientific problems including supercontinent cycles, magmatic processes and lunar water cycles. His strong support of early-career researchers and broad
network of international collaborators has widely benefitted the global geochemical community.
Robert Mason
University of Connecticut
Robert Mason is recognized for his pioneering research on global mercury cycling from molecular to planetary scales. His work integrates field, laboratory, and modeling innovations, shaping international mercury policy under the Minamata Convention and inspiring generations through exceptional scholarship and mentorship.
Jill Pasteris
Washington University in St. Louis
Through her career, Professor Pasteris has been an extraordinary teacher and researcher. From early in her career, Jill was a pioneer in the use of laser Raman spectroscopy in the geosciences. Her research spanned across the fields of economic geology, mineralogy, and most recently, environmental geochemistry. She has put tremendous care and energy into decades of teaching and has been an inspiration for hundreds of students who truly love her. The contributions by Jill and those of her students to the various fields of geochemistry have indeed been remarkable.
Elisabetta Rampone
Università di Genova
Elisabetta Rampone richly deserves this honor for her pioneering and fundamental contributions to the petrology and geochemistry of the mantle and lower crust, mostly through the study of ophiolites. Her scientific findings provided the petrologic and geochemical basis for modern, multifaceted investigations of mantle rocks.
Steven Rowland
University of Plymouth
Steven Rowland's research has made a substantial impact across several fields of organic geochemistry, ranging from biomarker discovery, structural elucidation and synthesis, to molecular proxy development for paleoclimate reconstruction to environmental organic geochemistry of petroleum hydrocarbons and microplastics.
Max W Schmidt
ETH Zürich
Max W. Schmidt is a world leader in experimental petrology and geochemistry. His pioneering work on subduction zone processes, volatile cycling, kimberlite and carbonatite genesis, and planetary differentiation, combined with innovative experimental techniques, exceptional mentorship, and dedicated community service, has profoundly advanced geochemistry and trained a global generation of scientists.
Weidong Sun
Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Weidong Sun has an exceptional record of high-impact science in the fields of arc magmatism and ore genesis, synergistic processes of plate tectonics and magmatism, and using "big data" to define Earth’s evolving system. His pioneering spirit drives him to explore many models that have formed Earth’s crust and mantle
Martin Van Kranendonk
Curtin University
Martin Van Kranendonk is recognized for his contributions to geology and geochemistry of the early Earth and the evolution of life, which have fundamentally changed previous views. Moreover, he is nominated for his science communication activities, advertising our subject in manifold ways.
Ray F Weiss
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego
Ray Weiss’s influence on the field of geochemistry over the arc of his career has extended from the ocean floor to the upper atmosphere. His development and application of rigorous and creative geochemical measurement techniques have advanced our understanding of ocean and deep lake circulation, hydrothermal vent geochemistry, gas solubilities in natural waters, and the global and regional distributions of atmospheric trace gases. His recent atmospheric work has led to numerous discoveries about atmospheric composition changes, with impacts on stratospheric ozone depletion, hydroxyl radical abundance, and global radiative forcing.