Citation by Xiaogang (Marshall) Ma, Denise Hills, and Matty Mookerjee
It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Prof. Peter A. Fox on March 27, 2021. The GSA Geoinformatics and Data Science Division had selected him as the recipient of the 2021 Outstanding Contributions in Geoinformatics Award, and we deeply regret that we cannot present him this award in person. The passing away of such an accomplished researcher, teacher and mentor is a great loss for the community, and he will be deeply missed by all of us who knew him.
Prof. Peter Fox was a pioneer in the field of data science and geoinformatics. His research covered all aspects of a data life cycle with an overall goal to further define and develop building blocks and framework in cyberinfrastructure, methodology of informatics, and data intensive science programs. His work reflects an efficient and elegant balance between computing, informatics, and scientific research. Those efforts leave a legacy of "data dexterity" in the wide range of scientific fields and programs in which he worked, including: astrophysics, climate change, geology, sea ice, oceanography, marine biology, and more.
Prof. Peter Fox received his B.Sc. (hons, 1980) and Ph.D. (1985) in Applied Mathematics, both from Monash University, Australia. He finished postdoctoral training in astronomy at Yale University and then joined the High Altitude Observatory at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in 1991. In 2008, Prof. Fox joined the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), where he was the Tetherless World Constellation Chair and Professor of Earth and Environmental Science, Computer Science, and Cognitive Science. At RPI, Prof. Fox developed Data Science, Xinformatics, Semantic eScience, and Data Analytics courses as part of curriculum offerings in several undergraduate and graduate degree programs. In 2012, Prof. Fox assumed the directorship of the Institute-wide, interdisciplinary Information Technology and Web Science academic program, advising over 120 students in BS, MS, and PhD programs annually.
Prof. Fox was one of the leaders that helped foster a community of geoinformatics researchers across the world. He had provided generous support to various early-career scientists and guided them into the field of data science and geoinformatics. Additionally, he was an outstanding mentor for those entering geoinformatics later in their careers. Prof. Fox was Editor-in-Chief of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) journal Earth and Space Science (2019-2021), and previously associate editor for the Earth Science Informatics journal, editorial board member for Computers in Geosciences and Nature's Scientific Data. He was past president and past board member of the Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP). He was instrumental in the foundation of the AGU Earth and Space Science Informatics section, and was past chair of it. Prof. Fox was awarded the 2012 Martha Maiden Lifetime Achievement Award for service to the Earth Science Information community, and the 2012 European Geosciences Union Ian McHarg Medal for significant contributions to Earth and Space Science Informatics. Fox was elected as the first Earth and Space Science Informatics fellow to AGU in 2015 and as fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2018.
In recognition of his exceptional contributions, merits, and impacts, the GSA Geoinformatics and Data Science Division is pleased to select Prof. Peter A. Fox as the recipient of the 2021 ‘M. Lee Allison Outstanding Contributions in Geoinformatics Award’. His death is a huge loss for the geoinformatics community, but his legacy will be carried forward by many students and colleagues.