All current GS members are eligible to vote in the Board of Directors election. Voting instructions were sent by email on 5 December. Please contact gsoffice@geochemsoc.org if you have any questions about how to vote or did not receive the ballot. The deadline to vote is 22 December 2022.
Information from each candidate is presented below. Click on a candidate's name to visit his or her web page.
International Secretary
The International Secretary is responsible for outreach to scientists and students in countries that are under-represented in the society's membership, as well as communication with international geological organizations. This is a three-year term of service.
(Select ONE)
Frances Jenner is a senior lecturer (associate professor) in the School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences at The Open University, UK. Her research focusses on the use of geochemistry for understanding the evolution of the Earth's mantle and the processes that create heterogeneity in the compositions of magmas that erupt at different tectonic settings. She is a member of the Geochemical Society Nominations Committee, has served as editor for the weekly Geochemical Society newsletter, as Theme Chair for Goldschmidt 2022, and has recently taken on the role of Review Editor for Frontiers in Earth Science.
Sisir Mondal is a Professor at Jadavpur University Kolkata, India. He holds a Ph.D. from Jadavpur University and did postdocs from Indiana University Bloomington, the American Museum of Natural History New York, and the Nordic Center for Earth Evolution Copenhagen University. His research focuses on petrology and the geochemistry of mineral deposits such as PGE, Ni, Cu, Cr, Ti, V, and Fe. In addition, he addresses the issues related to the chemical evolution of the Earth’s mantle by using PGE and Os isotopes as the geochemical tracer. His research also focuses on the sustainable resourcing of PGEs and other critical minerals. He is an editor of Ore Geology Reviews, the Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, and the Journal of Geological Society of India. He was a member of the GS Nominations Committee and a fellow of the SEG, and the Geological Society of India. He has served in several leadership positions, including being secretary of the CODMUR-IAGOD,
and the department chair at Jadavpur University. He has received a JSPS short-term invitational fellowship from Japan, the Prof. M.R. Srinivasa Rao Petrology Award from the Geological Society of India, and was awarded the Prof. N.N. Chatterjee Medal by the Asiatic Society Kolkata.
Secretary
The Secretary maintains the Bylaws, records Board votes and meeting minutes, and serves as the Geochemical Society representative on the Elements Executive Council. This is a three-year term of service.
(Select ONE)
Ben Tutolo is an Associate Professor of Geosciences at the University of Calgary. His research focuses on the reactive movement of fluids, solutes, and heat in geologic systems, with applications to the geologic and climatic evolution of both Earth and Mars. Ben has served as a mentor to students at the Goldschmidt conference annually since 2016, convened sessions at the Goldschmidt conference annually since 2017, served as an editor for Geochemical News from 2019 until 2021 and is currently serving on the Geochemical Society Award Nominations Committee. Ben is also currently chair of the Ocean Networks Canada Ocean Observatory Council and routinely participates in science outreach programs such as Skype A Scientist and the STEM Fellowship. In recognition of his outstanding published contributions to the science of geochemical kinetics and thermodynamics, Ben was recently awarded the 2022 Mineralogical Society of America Award.
Treasurer
The Treasurer maintains the financial records of the society, ensures compliance with tax filing regulations, and chairs the Finance Committee. The Treasurer is elected for a three-year term.
(Select ONE)
Haibo Zou is a Professor of Geology in the Department of Geosciences at Auburn University, USA. His research areas include isotope geochemistry, igneous petrology, volcanology, and theoretical geochemistry. He received his Ph.D. from Florida State University in 1999 and did postdoctoral research at University of California at Los Angeles with a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America since 2011, an Associate Editor for Geological Society of America Bulletin since 2016, and the present Treasurer for the Geochemical Society since 2000. He is the author of the book Quantitative Geochemistry and an author of more than 100 articles in international journals.
Non-Officer Director
Non-Officer Directors participate in Board discussions and serve on the Board as voting members. This is a three-year term of service. In order for the Board membership to reflect the regional diversity of the Society membership, this year requires election of one officer from Europe (Region 2) and one from Africa, Asia, Australia, or Central/South America (Region 3).
Director Region 2
(Select ONE)
Karen Hudson-Edwards is an environmental geochemist and mineralogist and Professor in Sustainable Mining at the Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter, UK. Her research focuses on understanding the geochemical and mineralogical mechanisms controlling the cycling of contaminants in mine wastes, mining-affected soils and waters and other contaminated environments. She has published > 100 peer-reviewed papers in these and related areas in collaboration with colleagues in microbiology, geomorphology, engineering, business and social science. She has served once as member of the Science Committee and twice as a theme leader of the Goldschmidt conference, Chair of the Nominations Committee and of the F.W. Clarke Award Committee of the Geochemical Society, and Chair of the Environmental Mineralogy Group and Publications Manager of the Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Tomas Magna is a research fellow at the Czech Geological Survey. His research is oriented to geochemistry and cosmochemistry with a particular focus on the utilization of a range of novel stable isotope tracers, applied to processes taking place in the mantle and crust, including mass transfer between various reservoirs and cycling of volatiles. He holds PhD from ETH Zürich. He serves as an associate editor of Geochemistry and Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta.
Director - Region 3
(Select ONE)
Carme Huguet is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geosciences at Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. Her overall aim is to understand climate change and other anthropogenic impacts and how they will affect life on Earth, which can only be tackled in a multidisciplinary way. She uses biomarkers and inorganic geochemistry tools to trace the fate of organic matter, past climate changes and their impact on biogeochemical cycles, to understand the links between terrestrial and marine biogeochemical processes, as well as doing multimatrix studies to understand contamination. She served on the executive committee of the Organic Geochemistry Division of the Geochemical Society between 2016 and 2019.
Haojia Abby Ren is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geosciences at National Taiwan University in Taiwan. Her research interests are focused on understanding the interaction between biology and the environmental conditions through the course of Earth history. In particular, she works on emerging disciplines and techniques to study the fluxes and cycles of biologically important elements, such as nitrogen and carbon, which can be then used to identify the biogeochemical processes and feedbacks that stabilizes the Earth system. She currently serves as the Associate Editor for Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta.
Director - Early Career Researcher
Candidates for this new board position are early career researchers, defined as higher degree (beyond Bachelors level) students in good standing who 1) have completed at least 2 years of a PhD program (e.g., equivalent to having passed qualifying or mid-term exams where applicable) OR 2) postdoctoral researchers or faculty within 4 years of being awarded their PhD, OR 3) employees in a geochemistry-related industry within 4 years of last degree completion at the year of nomination. This position has a two-year term of service. Candidates submitted statements of interest as part of the nomination process.
(Select ONE)
Statement of Interest
I am humbled to express my interest in joining the board of directors of the Geochemical Society as an Early Career Researcher. I work as a Research Associate in the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol, UK. Earlier, I worked as a doctoral researcher (ETH Zurich; Jan/2015- Mar/2020) and subsequently as a postdoctoral scientist (Jan/2020- April/2022) in the Department of Water Resources and Drinking Water and of Environmental Chemistry at Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Switzerland. My research couples environmental and biogeochemical observations to understand complex molecular-scale mechanisms of processes occurring in waters and at soil-water interfaces, which have a massive impact on water quality and agriculture.
Motivation: Since the beginning of my doctoral studies, I have been a member of the GS and actively participate in the annual Goldschmidt Conference. I closely follow and regularly enjoy attending the GS programs, which highlight the importance of open discussions about timely issues that our members face, such as the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on geochemical research and recent DEI initiatives. Because of my interest in bringing researchers together around a topic, I successfully co-convened sessions at the Goldschmidt conference in 2019 (Theme 12e) and 2020 (Theme 12b). I have been dedicated to organizing and anchoring several cultural and diplomatic events, serving as a bridge between students and universities, and raising awareness of women's education and LGBTQ+ rights. As a board member of the Eawag Postdoctoral Scientist Association (EPSA; 2020-2021), I was enthusiastically involved in organizing various events concerning Early Career Researcher (ECR) issues, networking, and coordinating amongst our members, which again have taught me how to build community and, importantly, maintain relationships amongst the community and stakeholders. In my current role at the University of Bristol, besides my research duties, I facilitate academia-industry engagements through establishing collaborations between the School of Earth Science and industry partner.
Vision: I am excited by the opportunity to join the board of directors as an ECR representative. I sincerely believe that the ECRs are the pillars of the Geochemical Society’s present and future success. I want to voice the current issues ECRs face at any and many society’s engagements and bridge the gap between the leadership of the GS and ECRs.
My goal in this role would be to (1) create professional development programs for ECRs that benefit them within and beyond academia, (2) develop organizational mechanisms and policies that significantly increase participation of women, LGBTQ+, and physically challenged members in geochemical research, (3) lead fundraising activities so that we can extend more support to our members, and (4) ensure the society's international reputation by collaborating with industry partners, and non-governmental organizations.
Statement of Interest
Serving on the GS board will enable me use my skills to help the society achieve its goals and objectives, as well as afford me the opportunity to give back to the organization. I have held the position of board member for multiple local and national organizations, and served on various university wide committees and student government association over the past twelve years. More recently, I served as national president of the Cameroonian Student Association in the US. During this time, I took part in various meetings and strategy sessions to help plan the annual meetings, grow, and increase member engagement within these various organizations.
Also, while a graduate student at the University of Houston, I served as the chair of the graduate student body in my department. One aspect of this position is participation in recruiting and retaining students of color within the department programs. To this effort, I organized the first diversity town hall forum in the department. This event provided an opportunity for faculty and students to come together to dialogue about the issues of diversity and inclusion, and steps that should be taken to improve the "climate" in the department. During these discussions, one student of color remarked "I never thought someone was interested in hearing and knowing how I felt".
I have administrative experience and excellent leadership skills that I would like to use for the GS. I can help create and implement new projects that will enhance the engagement of members, especially those from minority backgrounds and low-income countries. I am confident that I have the skills and experience to serve in this position and to be of great benefit to the GS board and its membership if given the opportunity.