Dear Geochemists,

Another bumper update this week…..

ECR Skills for Geochemists - Things I wish I knew when I started my PhD…
In our lunchtime seminar series ECR Skills for Geochemists, we aim to provide geochemistry-focused training and advice to PhD students and other Early Career Researchers (ECRs). Our next session will be on “Things I wish I knew when I started my PhD…” on Monday 8th December at 12 noon (GMT).
Attendance is free but you’ll need to register: https://geochemistry.group/ecr-skills-for-geochemists/
The session will comprise a panel discussion and Q+A, with a range of panellists from different areas of geochemistry providing their tips and advice on completing a PhD. It will be suitable for all PhD students, but particularly for those who are starting out or in their first few years. Panellists will answer your questions and share tips and advice on how to manage your project, your supervisors, and complete a successful PhD! When you register, you’ll have the chance to submit your own questions for the panel!
Hope many of you can join us, and in the meantime if you have any questions please contact David Wilson (david.j.wilson@ucl.ac.uk) or Fawn Holland (fh37@st-andrews.ac.uk).

Student Rep committee position: 

We have a student representative position available on the Geochemistry Group committee! Our student representatives are highly valued members of our committee, giving a voice to, and supporting the student geochemistry community.  To apply for the position, please submit a brief statement about yourself and why you would like to take on this role (roughly half an A4 page). Please also provide a profile picture. Please email your statement to Marie-Laure Bagard (mlb63@cam.ac.uk) by the deadline on Friday 5th December.

If you have any questions about the role, then please feel free to contact me or our current student reps, Fawn Holland (fh37@st-andrews.ac.uk) and Chen Xu (cx23@st-andrews.ac.uk). Find out more about the current committee on our website: https://geochemistry.group/the-committee/. Please forward this info on to anyone who may be interested in applying!

PhD list:

We have lots of geochemistry-related PhD projects already advertised in our list! https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16OQpC1r2lP199Tu9ZH5ZGyjYHAqHDOdFGRTUdQqpFds/edit?usp=sharing 

If you want to add to this list in the coming weeks, then please fill out the details here: https://forms.gle/X1vMMoYr1QPzdgmC7 . Projects don’t have to be purely geochemistry, and international PhDs are welcome! Please share this list with any prospective PhD students.

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! 

GGRiP 2025:
A reminder that the next Geochemistry Group Research in Progress (GGRiP) meeting will take place in Bristol on the 24th-26th of March 2026. 

For GGRiP 2026 in Bristol, we are running 2 pre-conference workshops that will be free for all conference attendees. The first will be a technical staff workshop covering lab techniques and lab management. The second workshop will be aimed at ECRs, covering the basics of different geochemistry techniques. There will be guest lecturers from across earth science/chemistry/Archaeology. 

Topics will include:

The GGRiP website will be live for registration from December 2025! Please also check our website: https://geochemistry.group/research-in-progress-meeting/ for the latest info!

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 (10 December 2025): Stable isotopes – biogeochemistry, by Savannah Worne, Loughborough University.

 

Stable isotope are powerful tools for tracing the sources and cycling of elements in environmental systems. Stable isotopes ratios can vary due to physical, chemical and biological processes, making them valuable tracers in biogeochemistry. By analysing these variations, we can identify nutrient sources, track biogeochemical transformations, and understand ecosystem interactions.
In this seminar, I will introduce the principles of stable isotope biogeochemistry and its applications in aquatic systems. I will then present a case study from my fellowship research at Rutland Water Nature Reserve, where I have undertaken a multi-stable isotope investigation to investigate the influence of sewage-derived nutrients and waste water management strategies on algal blooms. This approach has allowed me to disentangle nutrient sources, assess the extent of sewage inputs, and explore how these inputs interact with lake biogeochemistry to drive bloom dynamics.


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

 

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All the best

George


Dr George Cooper (ef/fo - he/him)
Cymrawd Ymchwil Prifysgol, y Gymdeithas Frenhinol | Royal Society University Research Fellow
Ysgol Gwyddorau’r Ddaear a’r Amgylchedd | School of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Prifysgol Caerdydd | Cardiff University
Ebost | Email: CooperG3@cardiff.ac.uk 
Ystafell | Office: 1.74A