Evelyn Füri, Centre de Recherches Pétrographiques et Géochimiques – CNRS – UL, France

2024 Science Innovation Award medallist

Evelyn Füri is a Chargée de Recherche (junior researcher) at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). She was first trained in isotope geochemistry during her diploma studies at the Department of Earth Sciences at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. She then moved to sunny San Diego where she completed a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 2010. After studying the noble gas geochemistry of various types of terrestrial samples such as subglacial and submarine basalts, geothermal fluids, and fumarolic gases, she decided to broaden her expertise by turning her attention to extraterrestrial samples. To this end, she obtained a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship from the French National Space Agency (CNES) to analyze light noble gases trapped in cometary material returned by NASA’s Stardust mission at the noble gas facility of the Centre de Recherches Pétrographiques et Géochimiques (CRPG, rainy Nancy, France). In parallel, she was trained in using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) to analyze meteorites as well as lunar samples collected during the Apollo missions. In 2014, she obtained a permanent CNRS researcher position at CRPG.

Evelyn’s main research objectives are to improve our understanding of the origin of noble gases and light elements (H, C, N) on Earth and other planetary bodies in the inner Solar System. Her work has also provided new insights on the behavior, distribution, and inventory of these elements in deep planetary reservoirs. Recently, Evelyn and her team developed novel methodologies in both noble gas mass spectrometry and SIMS techniques to analyze nitrogen isotopes in meteorites, samples brought back to Earth by space missions, and synthetic samples. Measurements of noble gases in various extraterrestrial samples provided additional constraints on modifications of light element isotope ratios induced by the solar wind and cosmic radiation during space exposure. Finally, Evelyn has been collaborating with researchers at CRPG and other national and international institutes to better understand the effects of various phyico-chemical parameters on the solubility and isotopic fractionation of nitrogen during planetary differentiation.

As a member of the ‘Hayabusa2 Initial Analysis Volatile Team’, Evelyn analyzed noble gases and nitrogen in both gas and solid samples collected on the asteroid Ryugu. She is also part of the sample science team of the OSIRIS-REx mission, which returned samples from the asteroid Bennu in 2023. In addition, Evelyn was part of the science core team of the Emirates Lunar Mission, which, unfortunately, experienced an unsuccessful landing on the Moon in 2023.

Evelyn received the CNRS bronze medal in 2017 and was awarded ERC Starting and Consolidator grants in 2016 and 2022, respectively. Thanks to her expertise in isotope geochemistry, cosmochemistry, and sample return missions, Evelyn has been solicited to give invited and keynote talks at several international conferences and workshops. She also regularly engages in public outreach activities, for example as part of the association “Les p’tits cueilleurs d’étoiles”, whose goal is to playfully introduce the world of planets and space to hospitalized children.