R. Berner Lecture
About the R. Berner Lecture
Robert Berner
(1935-2015)
This annual award is bestowed to a mid-career scientist shown to have made exceptional contributions to define globally important biogeochemical processes, developed new understanding(s), and significantly advanced this area of research.
The lecture was established in 2017 by students and friends of the late Robert Berner to commemorate his intellectual legacy in geochemistry. It is a joint program of the Geochemical Society and the European Association of Geochemistry, presented as an annual lecture at the Goldschmidt Conference.
The lecture is on a ‘Berner’ subject, which includes a wide range of topics associated with elemental cycling at the Earth’s surface (molecular to planetary scale, modern to ancient oceanic and terrestrial systems, evolution of the biosphere, etc).
Lecturers are selected by the Berner Lecture Committee, then approved by the Geochemical Society and the European Association of Geochemistry.
To be eligible, nominees should be a mid-career scientist who has received their PhD at least 10 years and no more than 21 years of full time equivalent scientific employ before the Goldschmidt conference at which the lecture is presented; hence, for the 2025 Berner Lecture, the lecturer should have received his/her PhD between 2004 and 2015 (but see information on career breaks here).
Nominations of underrepresented groups are encouraged.
We are committed to promoting the diversity of our awardees, to recognizing a wide range of different types of exceptional contribution, and we acknowledge the different career paths that lead to the achievement of such contributions.
Nomination requirements:
- Nominee’s CV (up to 4 pages)
- List of publications
- List of recent presentations and link to webpage, if available
- A recommendation letter from the nominator (up to 2 pages)
Berner Lecture Selection Committee
| Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Chair: Kathleen Ruttenberg | University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA |
| Megan Andrews |
North Carolina State University, USA |
| David Burdige |
Old Dominion University, USA |
| Joshua West | University of Southern California, USA |
| Simon Poulton | University of Leeds, UK |
| Caroline Slomp | University of Utrecht, The Netherlands |
Support the Lecture
Contributions to the Berner Lecture Fund go directly to supporting the lecturer’s travel to Goldschmidt every year.
Recipient of the 2025 R. Berner Lectureship:
Benjamin J. W. Mills
University of Leeds, UK
Dr. Mills has made fundamental advances in understanding the evolution of the Earth and its habitability through time. He is at the forefront of the paleo-biogeochemical modelling discipline, where his Earth Evolution Modelling Group continue to adapt and extend Berner’s original modelling approach.
The 2025 R. Berner Lecture will be presented at the Goldschmidt2025 conference.