Alfred Treibs Award for Ellen Hopmans
Ellen Hopmans, head of Analytical Laboratory of the MMB department at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, will receive the 2025 the Alfred Treibs Award. Presented by the Geochemical Society, the award is given for major achievements, over a period of years, in organic geochemistry.
The Geochemical Society’s Organic Geochemistry Division named Ellen Hopmans as this year’s laureate because of her significant contributions to organic geochemistry, particularly through pioneering analytical advances. “She introduced liquid chromatography, enabling the detection of membrane-spanning lipids like GDGTs, revolutionizing paleoclimate research with the TEX86 proxy. Additionally, her teaching and mentoring have inspired and empowered the next generation of organic geochemists, especially women,” they state in their press release.
“It is a huge honor to receive the Alfred Treibs Award and to be placed in a list of researchers that I have always looked up to,” says Ellen Hopmans. “It is also a great recognition of the value of analytical chemistry within the area of (organic) geochemistry. This work is often somewhat hidden in larger publications, but I have always taken great pride in maintaining the highest quality standards for the generated data. I owe a lot of gratitude to my colleagues and all the early career researchers that have been part of the organic biogeochemistry group here at NIOZ for always pushing me forward.”
The Alfred Treibs Award is presented annually by the Geochemical Society, and consists of an engraved silver medal, an honorarium of 1,500 US dollar, a certificate, and inclusion as a Geochemistry Fellow. The prize is named after geochemist Alfred Treibs (1899-1983), and honours his legacy of his classic papers on porphyrins as the starting point of organic geochemistry, as well as his broad chemical knowledge and modesty in interacting with fellow scientists