Geobiology and Geomicrobiology Division

The GSA Geobiology and Geomicrobiology division recognizes three exceptional researchers to receive pre-tenure, post-tenure, and distinguished career awards (or equivalent career stage in a non-tenure track position) each year. We (your Geobiology and Geomicrobiology Division Representatives) request nominations from our members to ensure a diverse and inclusive nominee pool, both in terms of academic fields and demographics. We also hope this process allows our members to feel involved and empowered to nominate the people who have made a difference to them or their (sub)field. Final nominees will be selected by the GBGM division representation committee from amongst this pool, and awarded based on the nominee’s complete portfolio (research, mentoring, service, and leadership). For details on past awards, see the GBGM website. 

Nomination Form

Please note that you must confirm that the person you are nominating has not breached GSA's Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct and that they are not under investigation for any action that would be a breach of GSA's Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct.

We are grateful for your participation in this process - we know that your time is valuable, but this is one of the most important things the division does. Please submit your nominations by Saturday, February 15th, 2025 here.

Trinity, Dylan, Ana, Katie, Lydia, Brandt, and Lucy (your Geobiology and Geomicrobiology Division Representatives)

If you have any questions, please email Trinity (trinityh@umn.edu).

GSA’s Geobiology and Geomicrobiology Division bestows two Excellence Awards to members each year. The Pre-Tenure Excellence Award and the Post-Tenure Excellence Award are based, specifically, on excellence in research, mentoring, service, and leadership for the geobiology and geomicrobiology community (appropriate to the candidate’s position).

Dr. Nagissa Mahmoudi is the 2024 Pre-Tenure Excellence Awardee.

Dr. Mahmoudi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at McGill University. Dr. Mahmoudi combines experimental microbiology and molecular biology along with novel isotopic approaches to decipher what heterotrophic microbes are "eating" and understand the principles that underlie "why". Dr. Mahmoudi's work is important for understanding how microbes mediate the fate and transformation of organic compounds in coastal and marine environments. Dr. Mahmoudi serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of Geobiology and is finishing a term as the Division Secretary for GSA’s Geobiology and Geomicrobiology Division. Dr. Mahmoudi’s lab has a reputation for being a welcoming, dynamic, and student-centered environment, attracting exceptional trainees. Dr. Mahmoudi's students and trainees have won prestigious national scholarships and publish in top journals. Dr. Mahmoudi is regularly an invited speaker at international conferences and departmental seminars. To quote Dr. Mahmoudi’s nomination: “For a pre-tenured faculty to be receiving such attention speaks volumes of Nagissa’s stature amongst her peers.”

Dr. Eva E. Stüeken is the 2024 Post-Tenure Excellence Awardee.

Dr. Eva Stüeken is a Reader (Associate Professor) in the School of Earth & Environmental Sciences at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Dr. Stüeken's research focuses on the origin and early evolution of life and implications for the habitability of other words. Dr. Stüeken uses a combination of field work in Precambrian terrains, analytical geochemistry, laboratory experiments, and simple models to reconstruct paleoenvironmental conditions, nutrient fluxes and metabolisms over Earth's history. A particular emphasis of Dr. Stüeken's work has been on the biogeochemical nitrogen cycle, including the development of methods to track nitrogen from the atmosphere to the biosphere and into the deep crust. More recently, Dr. Stüeken has begun exploring speciation of phosphorus in the igneous and sedimentary rock record. Dr. Stüeken is an Associate Editor for Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, and also serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of Geobiology and the Editorial Board of PLoS One. Dr. Stüeken is the coordinator for the MSc Geochemistry Program at St. Andrews, and frequently leads student field trips. Dr. Stüeken is currently advising six graduate students, and has been the principal advisor for 11 completed graduate students.

Congratulations to the Geobiology and Geomicrobiology 2024 Excellence Awardees!