Heather Buss, University of Bristol
Biography
Heather Buss is an Associate Professor in the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol, UK. She is a low-temperature geochemist who specialises in biogeochemical weathering in the critical zone. Her focus is on identifying, quantifying and modelling feedbacks between chemical weathering and biological and physical processes, especially at rock-soil interfaces. She applies a range of tools and approaches including field work, experimentation, modelling, and geochemical analyses of rocks, soils, waters, microorganisms and vegetation. Her work on weathering extends from forests to agricultural soils to the deep subsurface. She obtained her PhD in Geosciences from Penn State University (USA) in 2006 and held positions as an NRC research fellow and as a research chemist at the US Geological Survey before moving to the UK in 2011.
Motivation for serving the EAG council
The activities of the EAG have contributed greatly to my career development and I am motivated to give back to the community as an EAG councillor. I would especially like to promote initiatives to widen participation in geochemistry, helping the discipline and community to be more inclusive of less-represented groups, and to support the education and careers of younger geochemists. I am also keen to help the society in its endeavours to move towards a more sustainable future. I have been involved with EAG initiatives for a number of years, including guest editing Elements magazine in 2019 and through nearly 20 years involvement with the Goldschmidt conference. I am excited by the opportunity to deepen my involvement with the EAG by becoming a councillor.