Award Announcements
Faculty Awards and Honors
- Mike Gurnis has been awarded the Inge Lehmann Medal by AGU!
Mike Gurnis
The Inge Lehmann Medal is given annually to a senior scientist in recognition of outstanding contributions to the understanding of the structure, composition, and dynamics of the Earth’s mantle and core. Recipients of this award typically conduct research in the following disciplines: geomagnetism, paleomagnetism and electromagnetism, mineral rock physics, seismology, study of the Earth’s deep interior, and tectonophysics.
- Jess Adkins has been selected as the Cesare Emiliani Lecturer for 2024!
Jess Adkins
The Cesare Emiliani Lecture is presented annually and recognizes outstanding contributions to paleoclimatology and/or paleoceanography. The Emiliani Lecture honors the life and work of the renowned paleoceanographer and/or paleoclimatologist and the lecture presenter is chosen by the Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology section.
- Katherine de Kleer, Assistant Professor of Planetary Science and Astronomy, and Hufstedler Family Scholar, has been named the recipient of the 2024 Harold C. Urey Prize!
Katherine de Kleer
Katherine de Kleer, assistant professor of planetary science and astronomy, and Hufstedler Family Scholar, has been named the recipient of the 2024 Harold C. Urey Prize, given by the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society. The prize recognizes outstanding achievements in planetary science by an early career scientist.
- George Rossman Awarded Roebling Medal!
George Rossman
George Rossman (PhD '71), professor of mineralogy, has been awarded the 2021 Roebling Medal by the Mineralogical Society of America (MSA). The Roebling Medal is the MSA's highest award, recognizing "scientific eminence as represented primarily by scientific publication of outstanding original research in mineralogy."
- Cosmochemist François Tissot Named a Packard Fellow!
François Tissot
François Tissot, assistant professor of geochemistry and Heritage Medical Research Institute Investigator, has been selected as one of the 2021 Packard Fellows for Science and Engineering. The fellowship is awarded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and provides early-career scientists and engineers with $875,000 over five years to pursue their research.
2024
- Mike Gurnis, John E. and Hazel S. Smits Professor of Geophysics and Seismological Laboratory Director, has been awarded the Inge Lehmann Medal by AGU.
- Jess Adkins, Smits Family Professor of Geochemistry and Global Environmental Science, has been selected as the Cesare Emiliani Lecturer for 2024.
- Katherine R. de Kleer, Assistant Professor of Planetary Science and Astronomy, and Hufstedler Family Scholar, has been named the recipient of the 2024 Harold C. Urey Prize, given by the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society.
- John Eiler, the Robert P. Sharp Professor of Geology and Geochemistry, has been selected as the new chair of Caltech's Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences.
- Caltech Announces Newest Cohort of Leadership Chairs and Named Professorships:
Bethany L. Ehlmann - Professor of Planetary Science, Allen V. C. Davis and Lenabelle Davis Leadership Chair, Keck Institute for Space Studies Director, Keck Institute for Space Studies
Andrew Thompson - John S. and Sherry Chen Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering, Director, Ronald and Maxine Linde Center for Global Environmental Science Executive Officer for Environmental Science - Shri Kulkarni, the George Ellery Hale Professor of Astronomy and Planetary Science at Caltech, has been awarded the prestigious 2024 Shaw Prize in Astronomy "for his ground-breaking discoveries about millisecond pulsars, gamma-ray bursts, supernovae, and other variable or transient astronomical objects."
- Katherine de Kleer, Assistant Professor of Planetary Science and Astronomy, has been named a 2024 Cottrell Scholar by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA).
2023
- Caltech Introduces New Leadership Chairs and Named Professorships:
Michael Gurnis - John E. and Hazel S. Smits Professor of Geophysics
Clarence R. Allen Leadership Chair, Seismological Laboratory
Director, Schmidt Academy for Software Engineering
Alex Sessions - Nico and Marilyn van Wingen Professorship
Katherine de Kleer - Hufstedler Family Early-Career Professorship for Planetary Exploration
2022
- Caltech Introduces New Named Professors and Leadership Chairs:
Laurie Leshin- Bren Professor of Geochemistry and Planetary Science Vice President and Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory - Zachary Ross, Assistant Professor of Geophysics and William H. Hurt Scholar, has been selected as one of the 2022 Packard Fellows for Science and Engineering.
- Zhongwen Zhan, Professor of Geophysics, has been selected for the 2022 AGU Macelwane Medal.
- Dianne Newman has been elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation's oldest honorary societies.
- George Rossman (PhD '71), professor of mineralogy, has been awarded the 2021 Roebling Medal by the Mineralogical Society of America (MSA).
- François Tissot has been selected as one of the 2021 Packard Fellows for Science and Engineering.
- Caltech Faculty Receive Named Professorships:
Jennifer Jackson - William E. Leonhard Professor of Mineral Physics
Nadia Lapusta - Lawrence A. Hanson, Jr. Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Geophysics
Victoria Orphan - James Irvine Professor of Environmental Science and Geobiology Allen V. C. Davis and Lenabelle Davis Leadership Chair of the Center for Environmental Microbial Interactions - Heather Knutson, an American astronomer working at the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences of the California Institute of Technology, has been awarded the 2020 Paolo Farinella Prize for her significant contributions in our understanding of the structure, evolution and atmospheric dynamics of giant planets.
- Victoria J. Orphan named Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS)
- Charles Elachi has been selected to receive the 2020 Michael Collins Trophy for Lifetime Achievement, a trophy presented by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum for "outstanding achievements in the fields of aerospace science and technology and their history."
- Zach Ross received the 2019 Keiiti Aki Young Scientist Award from AGU.
- Heather Knutson named recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the United States government to outstanding scientists and engineers who are beginning their independent research careers and who show exceptional promise for leadership in science and technology.
- Dianne Newman has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences
- Tapio Schneider receives the Rosenstiel Award
- John P. Grotzinger has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
- Edward M. Stolper has been selected to receive the Geological Society of London's highest award, the Wollaston Medal, this year. The Wollaston Medal is presented to earth scientists whose research has had a substantial impact on pure or applied aspects of geology.
- Jess Adkins & Mark Simons elected 2018 AGU Fellows. The AGU Fellows program is an honor given to individual AGU members who have made exceptional scientific contributions and gained prominence in their respective fields of Earth and space sciences.
- Victoria Orphan awarded NOMIS Distinguished Scientist. The NOMIS Distinguished Scientist Award is supporting Orphan in her efforts to investigate the impact of marine viruses on the transformation of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur in ocean surface waters and sediments, with the ultimate goal of incorporating the data from this unique stable isotope approach into trophic models for ocean ecosystems.
- Konstantin Batygin awarded the prestigious Sloan Research Fellowship for 2018. The Sloan Research Fellowships, awarded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, "seek to stimulate fundamental research by early-career scientists and scholars of outstanding promise," according to the organization's website.
- Jess Adkins is a recipient of the 2018 Science Innovation Award. The EAG Science Innovation Award recognizes scientists who have recently made a particularly important and innovative breakthrough in geochemistry.
- Konstantin Batygin named a Packard Fellow.
- Bethany Ehlmann recipient of the Harold C. Urey Prize.The Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) of the American Astronomical Society has announced that Caltech's Bethany Ehlmann will receive the 2017 Harold C. Urey Prize for outstanding achievements in planetary research by an early-career scientist.
- Paul Wennberg elected to National Academy of Sciences. The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit organization of scientists and engineers dedicated to the furtherance of science and its use for the general welfare.
- Mark Simons named JPL's new Chief Scientist.
- Shrinivas (Shri) Kulkarni awarded the 2017 Dan David Prize
- Ed Stolper was selected as a recipient of the 2017 Roebling Medal, which is the highest award of the Mineralogical Society of America for scientific eminence as represented primarily by scientific publication of outstanding research in mineralogy.
Student Awards and Honors
- Samantha Baker selected as 2024 Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS) Affiliates
Samantha Baker
Congratulations to Samantha Baker for being selected as 2024 Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS) Affiliates. Nominated by the Caltech faculty, KISS Affiliates are an ongoing cohort of Campus graduate students and postdocs who are seen as the next generation of space exploration leaders.
- Zachariah Milby selected as 2024 Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS) Affiliates
Zachariah Milby
Congratulations to Zachariah Milby for being selected as 2024 Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS) Affiliates. Nominated by the Caltech faculty, KISS Affiliates are an ongoing cohort of Campus graduate students and postdocs who are seen as the next generation of space exploration leaders.
- Valeria Kachmar selected as 2024 Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS) Affiliates
Valeria Kachmar
Congratulations to Valeria Kachmar for being selected as 2024 Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS) Affiliates. Nominated by the Caltech faculty, KISS Affiliates are an ongoing cohort of Campus graduate students and postdocs who are seen as the next generation of space exploration leaders.
2024
- Samantha Baker, Valeria Kachmar, and Zachariah Milby, Graduate Students in Planetary Science, were selected as 2024 Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS) Affiliates. Nominated by the Caltech faculty, KISS Affiliates are an ongoing cohort of Campus graduate students and postdocs who are seen as the next generation of space exploration leaders.
2023
- Chris Milliner, a Postdoctoral Scholar Research Associate in Geology, was selected as 2023 Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS) Affiliates.
2022
- Three recent GPS graduates have been selected as 2022 Heising-Simons 51 Pegasi b Fellows. Congratulations Eva Scheller, Shreyas Vissapragada, and Michael Zhang. The 51 Pegasi b Fellowship provides exceptional early-career scientists with the opportunity to conduct theoretical, observational, and experimental research in planetary astronomy.
- Sarah Zeichner, a Graduate Student in Geochemistry, and Maria Camarca, a Graduate Student in Planetary Science were selected as 2022 Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS) Affiliates.
- Samantha Trumbo (recent GPS grad and current postdoc) was awarded the Heising Simons 51 Pegasi b Fellowship. The 51 Pegasi b Fellowship provides exceptional early-career scientists with the opportunity to conduct theoretical, observational, and experimental research in planetary astronomy.
- Elizabeth Bailey, a Graduate Student in Planetary Science, has been elected a 2020 Heising Simons Foundation Pegasi b Fellow
- Kimberly Moore, a future GPS Post Doc in Planetary Science, has been elected a 2020 Heising Simons Foundation Pegasi b Fellow
- Ben Cassese, an undergraduate in Planetary Sciences, has been awarded the Fritz Burns Prize in Geology for demonstrating both academic excellence and great promise in GPS.
- Carl Swindle, a graduate student in Geology, has been awarded the Ian Campbell Award for outstanding performance in field geology courses.
- Jorge Castillo Castillanos and Stacy Larochelle, graduate students in Geophysics, have been awarded the Richard H. Jahns Teaching Award for outstanding achievement as a graduate teaching assistant.
- Lyn Li has been awarded the James Michelin Scholarship for outstanding student in geology or geophysics.
- Karen Pham, an Undergraduate in Geology, has been awarded the Howard Reynolds Memorial Prize in Geology for the potential to excel in the field of geology.
- Giuliana Viglione, a graduate student in Professor Andrew Thompson's group has been selected to join the 2018 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellows Program.
- Elise Cutts, has been awarded the Fritz Burns Prize in Geology for demonstrating both academic excellence and great promise in GPS.
- Cecilia Sanders, a graduate student in Planetary Sciences, has been awarded the Ian Campbell Award for outstanding performance in field geology courses.
- Michelle Dan, has been awarded the John H. Hall Memorial Scholarship for outstanding undergraduate in GPS.
- Joe Biasi, graduate student in Geochemistry, has been awarded the Richard H. Jahns Teaching Award for outstanding achievement as a graduate teaching assistant.
- Karen Pham, an Undergraduate in Geology, has been awarded the James Michelin Scholarship for outstanding student in geology or geophysics.
- Sarah Crucilla, an Undergraduate in Geology, has been awarded the Howard Reynolds Memorial Prize in Geology for the potential to excel in the field of geology.
- Jessica Watkins, GPS Chair's Postdoctoral Scholar and California Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) Fellow, has been selected for the 2017 Astronaut Class.
- Michelle Dan, has been awarded the Fritz Burns Prize in Geology for demonstrating both academic excellence and great promise in GPS.
- Lee Saper and Maddie Lewis, graduate students in GPS, have been awarded the Ian Campbell Award for outstanding performance in field geology courses.
- Angela Nan, has been awarded the John H. Hall Memorial Scholarship for outstanding undergraduate in GPS.
- Mike Wong, has been awarded the Richard H. Jahns Teaching Award for outstanding achievement as a graduate teaching assistant.
- Alec Brenner, has been awarded the James Michelin Scholarship for outstanding student in geology or geophysics.
- Elise Cutts, has been awarded the Howard Reynolds Memorial Prize in Geology for the potential to excel in the field of geology.