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Announcing the Geological Society's 2025 Award and Fund Recipients

The Geological Society is thrilled to announce the winners of its 2025 Society Awards and Funds for their significant achievements and contribution to the geoscience community. The formal presentation of awards will be celebrated on President's Day, 11 June 2025, at Burlington House in London.

Please join us in congratulating the full list of 2025 recipients – see further below.

The Society's most esteemed medal, the Wollaston Medal, first awarded in 1831 to William Smith, celebrates geoscientists whose research has had significant influence "by means of a substantial body of excellent research in either or both 'pure' and 'applied' aspects of the science" advancing our understanding of the Earth.

Image credit: University of Toronto, D Tyszko

This year, it is awarded to Professor Barbara Sherwood Lollar, University Professor in Earth Sciences, University of Toronto. Renowned for her research of ancient waters and deep subsurface biosphere, she is a most worthy recipient, with over 200 published peer-reviewed papers.

Professor Lollar pioneered the development of Compound Specific Isotope Analysis (CSIA), identifying a new natural isotope tracer of unparalleled sensitivity to investigate the clean-up of hydrocarbon contaminants in the environment, and quantify the microbial and chemical transformation of groundwater contaminants, which has had a considerable impact on the field of drinking water remediation globally. Her work has contributed to the evaluation of deep geologic repositories' potential for disposal of low- and high-level nuclear waste and carbon capture and storage, as well as identifying new areas of hydrogen-rich rock with potential to contribute clean energy alternatives. Moreover, her discoveries around habitability of groundwaters in the Earth's deep subsurface are driving insights into mission planning for Mars, Enceladus and Europa.

Barbara Sherwood Lollar has received numerous accolades, including the Eni Award in Protection of the Environment (2012), Companion of the Order of Canada – an honour bestowed on only 180 living Canadians – and the C.C. Patterson Award (2019) for environmental chemistry. Notwithstanding, to receive the Wollaston Medal carries great significance for her:

"The Geological Society of London was the crucible in which so many of the founding principles of geological sciences arose – principles that laid the foundation for how scientists observe, investigate and understand the planet. It is an immense thrill to receive the Wollaston Medal and an honour to contribute to a community that has persevered throughout history in pursuit of an understanding of the Earth driven by facts, by hypothesis testing, and by the rigorous application of reasoning, thereby establishing a strong foundation for public policy and action."

Also highly prestigious are the Lyell, Murchison, and William Smith Medals, which honour recipients for their exceptional research contributions.

Professor Hugh Jenkyns, Emeritus Professor at Oxford University, receives the 2025 Lyell Medal for his pioneering research in 'soft' rock studies. Professor Hugh Jenkyns, sedimentary geologist, stratigrapher and paleoceanographer, is held in the highest regard for his work defining and exploring 'oceanic anoxic events' (OAEs) to explain the occurrence of globally widespread, coevally deposited Mesozoic black shales. Jenkyns' models of OAEs have found widespread application, including within industry due to their implications for source rock genesis. He has been in the vanguard of developments in Mesozoic palaeoceanography and the study of OAEs and in the application of new and developing geochemical tools demonstrated by over 35,000 citations. He has trained and influenced many scientists worldwide through his work and international collaborations, as well as inspiring decades-worth of students through his teaching.

The 2025 Murchison Medal, for significant contribution to 'hard' rock studies, is awarded to Professor Jenny Collier, an expert in Marine Geophysics at Imperial College London. She has made groundbreaking contributions to the study of the structure of the oceanic lithosphere and the Quaternary evolution of continental shelves. She led the pioneering multibeam bathymetry survey of the UK continental shelf, a project that revealed the existence of catastrophic megafloods that once separated Britain from Europe. Recent work on the subduction of slow-spread oceanic lithosphere has shown its importance for the global solid-Earth water cycle. Professor Collier has also made significant advances in understanding volcanic rifted margins, focusing her work primarily on seismic and magnetic methods in the South Atlantic and Northwest Indian Ocean. Her findings have challenged traditional models, revealing the complex geological history of these regions, where inherited structures play a crucial role in shaping their evolution.

Professor David Selby is this year's recipient of the William Smith Medal for contributions to applied and economic geology. David Selby, Durham University, has earned global recognition in the field of rhenium-osmium (Re-Os) geochronology and isotope geochemistry, establishing himself as a leader in this area. His research focuses on the systematic development and application of the Re-Os isotope system to metallic and hydrocarbon economic geology, fostering an extensive network of international collaborators and playing a key role in the geological community. With a diverse research portfolio, including over 200 publications, David contributes to economic geology, supporting ore deposit studies and mineral exploration strategy. In addition, he has employed his methodology to investigate fundamental geological processes, from volcanism to mountain weathering, to ice sheet dynamics, as well as expanding his research beyond geology into the field of archaeology and atmospheric pollution.

The Geological Society will celebrate this year's outstanding medallists and award recipients below at our awards ceremony on 11 June. Additional details about the event will be shared through the Society's magazine, Geoscientist, as well as on our website and social media platforms.

Below is the complete list of 2025 award and fund recipients who have made exceptional contributions to geosciences and the geoscience profession:

NOTES:

1. The Geological Society of London, founded 1807, is a learned and professional body, of c. 12,000 Earth scientists. It is a not-for-profit organisation, and a registered charity (no. 210161). It aims to support Earth scientists, grow interest in the natural world, and connect science, the profession and society. Its vision is to be an inclusive and thriving Earth science community advancing knowledge, addressing global challenges, and inspiring future generations.
2. The presentation of the Society Awards will be held at The Geological Society – Burlington House on President's Day on 11 June 2025. It will be a hybrid event and made available online.
3. You can find out more about the Society Awards here.