Zoltan Zajacz, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Biography
Zoltan Zajacz is Associate Professor of mineral resources at the University of Geneva. He obtained his PhD at ETH Zürich in 2007, and subsequently worked as postdoctoral and senior researcher at the University of Maryland (2007-2010) and ETH Zürich (2010-2013) followed by an Assistant Professorship at the University of Toronto (2014-2019). After having been awarded tenure in Toronto, he was hired by the University of Geneva as Associate Professor in 2019, where he leads a vibrant research group that focuses on understanding the controls on the fertility of magmas for hydrothermal ore genesis, the mass transfer of elements during magma degassing at depth, and experimental and micro-analytical method developments that can enhance research on these topics. He combines high-pressure experimentation with field-based studies and computational modeling.
Motivation for serving the EAG council
I am interested in serving on the EAG Council because I believe that the mission of this organization is becoming ever more important under today’s societal and environmental challenges. The exchange of ideas and scientific collaborations are gaining an increasing role in scientific breakthrough, while most of us dwell deeper and deeper into our specific research areas. At the same time, geochemistry is well-positioned to play a critical role in the assessment and mitigation of environmental challenges such as global climate change. Projecting our mission to society and government stakeholders is critically important. At the same time, attracting young talent to our field while aiming to provide equal opportunity, as well as fostering the career of young researchers are foundations for the future growth of our discipline.