Society Awards 2025 Winners

Professor Lollar pioneered the development of Compound Specific Isotope Analysis (CSIA), identifying a new natural isotope tracer of unparalleled sensitivity to investigate the clean-up of hydrocarbon contaminants in the environment, and quantify the microbial and chemical transformation of groundwater contaminants, which has had a considerable impact on the field of drinking water remediation globally.

Her work has contributed to the evaluation of deep geologic repositories' potential for disposal of low- and high-level nuclear waste and carbon capture and storage, as well as identifying new areas of hydrogen-rich rock with potential to contribute clean energy alternatives. Moreover, her discoveries around habitability of groundwaters in the Earth's deep subsurface are driving insights into mission planning for Mars, Enceladus and Europa.

Barbara Sherwood Lollar has received numerous accolades, including the Eni Award in Protection of the Environment (2012), Companion of the Order of Canada – an honour bestowed on only 180 living Canadians – and the C.C. Patterson Award (2019) for environmental chemistry. Notwithstanding, to receive the Wollaston Medal carries great significance for her:

"The Geological Society of London was the crucible in which so many of the founding principles of geological sciences arose – principles that laid the foundation for how scientists observe, investigate and understand the planet. It is an immense thrill to receive the Wollaston Medal and an honour to contribute to a community that has persevered throughout history in pursuit of an understanding of the Earth driven by facts, by hypothesis testing, and by the rigorous application of reasoning, thereby establishing a strong foundation for public policy and action."

Professor Jenkyns' models of OAEs have found widespread application, including within industry due to their implications for source rock genesis. 

He has been in the vanguard of developments in Mesozoic palaeoceanography and the study of OAEs and in the application of new and developing geochemical tools demonstrated by over 35,000 citations. He has trained and influenced many scientists worldwide through his work and international collaborations, as well as inspiring decades-worth of students through his teaching.

Professor Collier led the pioneering multibeam bathymetry survey of the UK continental shelf, a project that revealed the existence of catastrophic megafloods that once separated Britain from Europe. Recent work on the subduction of slow-spread oceanic lithosphere has shown its importance for the global solid-Earth water cycle.

Professor Collier has also made significant advances in understanding volcanic rifted margins, focusing her work primarily on seismic and magnetic methods in the South Atlantic and Northwest Indian Ocean. Her findings have challenged traditional models, revealing the complex geological history of these regions, where inherited structures play a crucial role in shaping their evolution.

With a diverse research portfolio, including over 200 publications, David contributes to economic geology, supporting ore deposit studies and mineral exploration strategy. In addition, he has employed his methodology to investigate fundamental geological processes, from volcanism to mountain weathering, to ice sheet dynamics, as well as expanding his research beyond geology into the field of archaeology and atmospheric pollution.