Dear Geochemists,

A final update before the festive break. If you are still on the fence about applying for a bursary or award, then please don’t hesitate!

GGRiP 2026 – Bristol:

The next Geochemistry Group Research in Progress (GGRiP) meeting will take place in Bristol on the 24th-26th of March 2026. Visit the GGRiP website to Register and see the full schedule

For GGRiP 2026 in Bristol, we are running 2 pre-conference workshops that will be free for attendees: 

Geochemistry Group Awards (deadline 15th January):

  • The Geochemistry Group Postdoctoral Medal is awarded each year to a postdoctoral researcher who has published outstanding research in a peer-reviewed journal within the broad field of geochemistry. Nominations for the GG Medal can be submitted at any time throughout the year and will be reviewed at the January committee meeting. Please visit our website for full details and to apply https://geochemistry.group/awards-and-medals/   If you know a postdoc with a great paper, then please encourage them to apply!! 


Meeting Attendance Bursaries (PhDs and ECRs) (deadline 15th January)

The Geochemistry Group welcomes applications from researchers registered at UK and Irish universities or research institutions to facilitate the presentation of their geochemistry-related research at a meeting hosted online, within the UK or internationally. The bursary is open to students regardless of funding situation as well postdoctoral researchers without financial support for conference attendance. Full eligibility criteria are listed in the application form which can be downloaded from our website: https://geochemistrygroup.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=130&action=edit  These are often under subscribed, so you stand a great chance of success! 

PhD list:

We have lots of geochemistry-related PhD projects on our list and more are being added. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16OQpC1r2lP199Tu9ZH5ZGyjYHAqHDOdFGRTUdQqpFds/edit?usp=sharing .Please share this list with any prospective PhD students! If you want to add to this list, please fill out the details here: https://forms.gle/X1vMMoYr1QPzdgmC7 .

EPMA Workshop:

On behalf of the EPMA workshop committee,


The 7th EPMA Workshop is back — and more exciting than ever!
Join us online 23–26 March 2026 for a fully refreshed virtual workshop featuring new speakers, new topics, and the latest breakthroughs in electron probe microanalysis for Earth & Planetary Sciences.

Explore a fast-paced program covering:
• EPMA fundamentals & quantitative analysis
• Measurement accuracy & data evaluation
• Beam-sensitive materials
• X-ray mapping
• Glassy & hydrated materials
• Analytical modelling & automated mineralogy
• Oxidation state (Fe & S)
• Meteorite applications
• Essential EPMA software tools

 

What’s new this year: Dedicated sessions on Bruker AMICS automated mineralogy, oxidation state measurements in glasses and minerals, novel EPMA applications in meteoritics, and powerful software tools for all EPMA users.

 

Post-Workshop Benefits:
• Access to all recordings, presentations & transcripts for two weeks
• A Q&A platform where you can submit questions anytime — even if you don’t attend live — with answers from the speakers after the workshop


Explore our new website & register now: https://sites.google.com/view/epma-athens2026. (early Registration deadline: 28th February 2026)

 

Our Speakers (given in alphabetical order of the last name): Ioannis Baziotis (Agricultural University of Athens), John Donovan (University of Oregon), Anette Von der Handt (University of British Columbia), Chris Hayward (University of Edinburgh), Ery Hughes (University College London), Colin MacRae (CSIRO Mineral Resources), Serguei Matveev (JEOL Germany), Amanda Ostwald (Michigan State University) and Jesse Walters (University of Graz).


Please contact Ioannis Baziotis ibaziotis@aua.gr for more information.


Mineralogical Society at 150: Past Discoveries and Future Frontiers:

The Mineralogical Society will celebrate its sesquicentennial during 2026. The focal point of our celebrations will be a three-day meeting at the University of Manchester from 23–25 June 2026. All are welcome, from students and early-career researchers to those who have a lifetime of Society experience under their belts!

A key element of the programme will focus on the history of the Society. As part of our celebration, we will publish an article in Mineralogical Magazine describing the history of the Society. In addition, we will celebrate the key people who have contributed to the organization, to our journals and to mineral science over the past 150 years. We would welcome contributions which look at the history of our Society, its leaders and, our disciplines. These may fit in any of the sessions but certainly are welcomed in the ‘Universal Session’.

The scientific sessions (up to 3x parallel sessions are planned) will be held in the Schuster Building and the banquet, on the night of 23rd June, will be held at the wonderful Whitworth Hall. More information on the event webpage: https://minsoc-150.org/

MinSoc Skills and Training:


Register here for an upcoming event (4th February 2026): The Brilliance of Defects – The Mineralogical and Petrological Significance of Luminescence in Minerals by Adrian Finch (St. Andrews) 

Luminescence of minerals contains information about the structural state of metals and defects at ultradilute concentrations. In principle, the light emitted is a powerful tool for determining defect structure, but interpreting such data is challenging since we have an incomplete understanding of luminescence in many minerals, and how features such as coordination state and symmetry are encoded within it. This short course will explore what information can be extracted from luminescence in mineral systems, beginning with the mineral physics behind the process, but moving onto the geological information that one can obtain. The course explores both the uses of both luminescence spectroscopy and petrography. 

More info on the MinSoc page: https://www.minersoc.org/skills-and-training.html 

 

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All the best

George