The European Association of Geochemistry (EAG) has awarded Professor Liane G. Benning, head of Section 3.5 “Interface Geochemistry” at the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, the “Distinguished Lectureship 2025-2026” in recognition of her exceptional lecturing skills. This honor includes the opportunity to design and deliver a lecture program in Romania, Hungary, and Poland.

Benning’s lectures are titled:

• Mineral Formation and Breakdown: The Struggle Between Kinetics and Thermodynamics Under Earth Surface Conditions
• The Great Melt: How Microbes, Minerals, and Ions are Changing Our Planet Today and Under Future Warmer Climatic Conditions

Liane G. Benning is the second GFZ scientist in a row to be awarded the Distinguished Lectureship by the European Association of Geochemistry, following Professor Sarah A. Gleeson, who received the award for 2024-25.

About the “EAG Distinguished Lecture” Program

The European Association of Geochemistry’s “EAG Distinguished Lecture” program aims to introduce scientists and students from underrepresented regions of the world to new fields of geochemical research and to inspire them with these topics. The focus lies on the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The “Distinguished Lecturer” is selected each year based on a combination of outstanding research contributions to geochemistry and the ability to communicate these contributions clearly and understandably to a broad audience.

About the Person

Geochemist Liane G. Benning has headed the “Interface Geochemistry” section at the GFZ since 2014 and has been a professor at the Free University of Berlin since 2016, in a joint appointment. Previous stops in her scientific career included ETH Zurich in Switzerland, Pennsylvania State University in the USA, and the University of Leeds in the UK. Her research focuses on extremophilic microorganisms on glaciers and in snow, mineral formation and decomposition, and the microscopic characterization of geo-bio-materials. She and her team conduct research in the lab and in polar regions such as Greenland.

Further Information about the Lectures:

April 8-9, 2026: Bucharest (Romania)
June 7-9, 2026: Sopron (Hungary)
June 14-20, 2026: T.b.a. (Poland)

Further details about the topics of the events will be announced shortly.

Past lectures in this series, including those by Sarah Gleeson, can be viewed on Youtube.