Newly Elected Fellows

Society Fellowship is an honor bestowed on the best of our profession by election at the spring GSA Council meeting. GSA members are nominated by other GSA members in recognition of a sustained record of distinguished contributions to the geosciences and the Geological Society of America through such avenues as publications, applied research, teaching, administration of geological programs, contributing to the public awareness of geology, leadership of professional organizations, and taking on editorial, bibliographic, and library responsibilities.

Benjamin Drenth has focused his considerable talents as a research geophysicist and project leader at the USGS toward solving challenging geologic problems and influencing strategic directions within the USGS. He has shown an enduring commitment to applying gravity and magnetic geophysical data to sound geologic interpretations, both through his own research and in involvement with other geologists. He communicates the utility of geophysics to geologists in a wide range of venues, from collaborating with colleagues at USGS and State Surveys, publishing in geology-oriented journals, and service to GSA. He is adept at building multi-disciplinary teams and inspiring their interest in the challenges of resolving the complexities of buried Precambrian rocks through understanding geophysical data. He is the informal leader of the geophysical component of the multi-million-dollar USGS Earth MRI program. He coordinates with State Surveys and is commonly consulted for advice on topics related to airborne geophysics.—Paul Bedrosian

Ilya V. Buynevich has recorded a superlative record in all categories that the Geological Society of America deems important to become a GSA Fellow. He has made significant contributions in barrier, aeolian, trace fossil and estuarine research (>100 journal papers and book chapters) and was a recent Fulbright Scholar. He is a committed steward of GSA, publishing >200 GSA Abstracts and a well-received GSA Special Paper 473 entitled: Geology and Geoarchaeology of the Black Sea Region: Beyond the Flood Hypothesis. He has organized a remarkable 17 special sessions at National and Regional at GSA Conferences and produced eight exhibit booths at GSA meetings to promote Temple University students. Ilya has been a constant spokesman furthering the science of Marine Geology, continuously supporting colleagues on research cruises and field excursions in 10 countries on four continents. During the past 24 years Ilya has presented 63 invited lectures, including two Keynote Addresses.—Duncan FitzGerald

Karl W. Wegmann is a Professor and Associate Head in the MEAS Department at North Carolina State University. His research focuses on tectonic geomorphology, natural hazards, and landscape evolution, with particular emphasis on earthquakes, landslides, fluvial systems, and human–landscape interactions. He integrates field geology, lidar, geospatial analytics, Quaternary geochronology, and open-source computational tools to address problems at the intersection of Earth-surface processes, public safety, and environmental change. Wegmann has authored or co-authored publications across a wide range of geoscience journals and has contributed numerous geologic maps and field guides. He is the co-developer of HazMapper, an open-access Google Earth Engine application for rapid characterization of natural hazards. A dedicated educator and mentor, Wegmann has more than 17 years of experience teaching. He is a Fellow of the NC State Academy of Outstanding Teachers and has a sustained record of professional service, including leadership roles within the Geological Society of America.—Joel Pederson

Di-Cheng Zhu is Distinguished Professor of Petrology and Geochemistry at the China University of Geosciences, Beijing. His career has been marked by an extraordinary scientific productivity and highly original interpretations of longstanding geologic problems. His scientific focus is understanding the mechanisms that govern continental breakup and amalgamation, primarily using the magmatism that accompanies these processes. His principal discoveries include understanding (1) the timing and mechanism of breakup of the Indian continent from Australia; (2) the origin, compositional architecture, and evolution of the Lhasa Terrane, by demonstrating its origin from the northern margin of Australia and later split into three subterranes followed by accretion and amalgamation; and (3) the origin of the overthickened arc crust of southern Tibet and its implications for crustal evolution in collision zones by reconstructing the thickening process and deep driving mechanism of the Gangdese magmatic belt in southern Tibet.—Timothy Harrison

Ann M. Youberg leads the Geologic Hazards Research Group at the Arizona Geological Survey, where she has worked for 26 years. A leader in landslide hazard science, she has transformed how communities prepare for postfire debris-flow hazards, helping protect lives and infrastructure across Arizona and beyond. She pioneered methods to assess postfire debris-flow hazards before fires occur, which communities use to guide mitigation efforts such as improved flow conveyance and fuels treatments. Ann also has an outstanding record in public service, communicating geologic hazards to the public and government agencies, and serving on hazard-focused advisory committees. She has been an active member of the GSA Environmental and Engineering Geology Division, organizing technical sessions and serving in every position on the management board. Her hazard assessment work and commitments to education and public service underscore her impact on the science of landslide hazards as well as the public’s understanding of geoscience.—Luke McGuire

Scott L. Murchie’s research, mission activities, and scientific leadership have enabled significant strides in understanding multiple Solar System bodies, including Mars, near-earth asteroids, Mercury, our Moon, and the moons of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. His significant contributions to the CONTOUR, NEAR, PHOBOS-2, Mars Pathfinder, MESSENGER, Mars Express, and MRO missions span a phenomenal career of scientific breakthroughs in Planetary Geology. His innovation and leadership in developing remote sensing instruments for planetary exploration and his mentorship of a generation of young scientists are additional examples of the far-reaching extent of his influence as a leader in the planetary community. Further, his record of contributing well-documented and readily accessible CRISM images, maps, and accessory files to the PDS demonstrates his commitment to supporting data archives. Dr. Scott Murchie is recognized as a Fellow of GSA for his innovative, revolutionary, and influential discoveries on the geology of Mars, Mercury, asteroids, and icy satellites.—Janice Bishop

Kristin Morell has significantly transformed our understanding of the tectonic evolution of convergent margins around the world. She received her PhD from Penn State University in 2011, and after a post-doctoral fellowship at Melbourne and an Assistant Professorship at Victoria University in Canada, she joined the faculty at the University of California at Santa Barbara in 2021 and is currently a tenured Associate Professor. Her 36 publications demonstrate a diverse set of skills and expertise spanning structural geology, neotectonics, paleoseismology, and thermochronometry, all backed by deep knowledge of Geographic Information Systems and high- resolution (Lidar) topographic analysis. Notably, she has published 6 papers in GSA journals, including GSA Bulletin, Geology, GSA Today, and Lithosphere. Her scientific versatility is further reflected in publications in G-cubed, JGR, Reviews of Geophysics, GRL, Earth Planet. Sci Lett., AGU Advances, Geomorphology, J. of Seismology, Tectonophysics, Bull Seism. Soc. Am., and Tectonics.—Donald Fisher

Justin V. Strauss is an internationally recognized scientist making outstanding contributions to our understanding of Proterozoic-early Paleozoic Earth history and evolution. His field investigations and age calibration of circum-Arctic terranes have enhanced our knowledge of tectonic processes and events in these remote areas. This innovative work provided context for understanding the biological evolution and paleoenvironmental conditions in the Neoproterozoic–early Paleozoic. Justin’s research group and collaborators use multi-disciplinary studies to address some of the most significant and exciting topics in Earth science. Among their many contributions, they identified basalt weathering as a trigger of Neoproterozoic snowball earth events; linked global tectonic reorganization with the Shuram carbon isotope excursion; proposed an erratic Neoproterozoic carbon cycle resulting from carbonate supersaturation under special ocean chemical conditions; and added new data and insight to Ediacaran biota evolution. Results of his efforts are reported in geologic maps and manuscripts, many published in GSA journals.—Xiahong Feng

Ellen Herman has provided outstanding education and mentoring to undergraduate geoscientists and has provided exemplary service to GSA and associated organizations. A dedicated educator at Bucknell University, Dr. Herman has taught introductory students and upper-level majors. She has developed innovative classes such as “Integrated Perspectives: the Anthropocene” that challenges students to consider how they evaluate data quality and how they can respond to global change. She is an outstanding mentor leading more than 35 undergraduate research projects. Her meeting abstracts have included over 50 students listed as co-authors. She led spring-break field trips designed to retain geology students. She envisioned and runs the “Refrigerator Library” to help students deal with food insecurity. She has supported GSA through convening of sessions, leading a field trip in 2023, publishing in GSA journals, and being on the Research Grants Committee. She has also been a critical supporter of the GSA-affiliated Karst Waters Institutes.—Dorothy Vesper

Professor Lu Wang was elected as a 2026 GSA Fellow based on her outstanding contributions to understanding the dynamics of exhumation of deeply-subducted continental crust in collisional orogens, and the roles played by partial melting of eclogite, together with the P-T-t-d-X (deformation, fluid) related reactions that lubricate exhumation channels. Together with these multi-scale, muti-disciplinary studies, her research and mentoring spans the breadth of time, extending to the Archean, with comparisons to ancient cratons and bringing this insight to quantifying the style of early Earth tectonics. She is also elected based on her contributions to public awareness of geology, having contributed the scientific background to successfully establish a UNESCO Global Geopark linking with multistage-uplift of Tibet, and for her service to GSA, as International Committee Member-at-Large, her long-term service as associate editor of the bulletin, where she has recently been appointed as co-Scientific Editor-in-Chief.—Mei-Fu Zhou

Ronald C. Blakey is a Professor Emeritus at Northern Arizona University. He is known principally for his work in three areas: fluvial and eolian sedimentology/stratigraphy; Colorado Plateau geology; and global paleogeographic maps. With students, Dr. Blakey worked out in detail the architecture of ephemeral versus permanent and braided versus meandering (and mixed-channel) deposits. He also identified and defined superscoops in eolian sedimentary rocks. He tied together large-scale stratigraphy, paleogeography, and tectonics of the Colorado Plateau in the Paleozoic and Mesozoic, providing the framework for subsequent studies by himself and dozens of colleagues. This work has provided the basis for understanding major unconformities and tectonic changes that deeply inform studies on the evolution of the climate signature in sedimentary rocks on the Colorado Plateau. Finally, through rigorous research and artistic flair, he has produced paleogeographic maps of unparalleled clarity and accessibility that often appear in talks, papers, and textbooks—Judith Parrish

Grant Ferguson, the University of Saskatchewan Centennial Enhancement Chair in Groundwater-Energy-Food Nexus and 2025 NGWA Henry Darcy Distinguished Lecturer in Groundwater Science, is recognized for his transformative scientific contributions to understanding the role of deep groundwater in the hydrologic cycle and associated energy systems. His research has addressed critical geoscience questions related to groundwater sustainability, natural vs. anthropogenic fluid fluxes in sedimentary basins, and connections of deep fluids to near-surface environments. This work has opened new areas of interdisciplinary research and expanded the thinking and research of other geoscientists. He is also recognized for his long-standing service to the hydrogeology community.—Jennifer McIntosh

Adriana Dutkiewicz is an internationally renowned leader in marine sedimentology and geoinformatics whose work has fundamentally advanced understanding of deep-sea sediments, ocean circulation, and the long-term carbon cycle, while also transforming how legacy geological data can generate discovery-driven science. Defining features of Adriana’s career are the originality and consistency of her scientific contributions, coupled with their exceptional visibility in GSA’s flagship journal, Geology. She has authored/co-authored 14 research articles in Geology, a level of sustained contribution to Geology that places her among an exclusive cohort of geoscientists worldwide. It reflects not only productivity, but also the enduring relevance and broad appeal of her work to the diverse GSA community. Commensurate with her research achievements, Adriana has made significant service contributions to GSA. Her service on the Editorial Board of Geology since 2022 reflects both her standing in the international geoscience community and her commitment to advancing the mission of GSA. —Millard Coffin

Stephen L. Slaughter has 25 years of experience in landslide hazards. Stephen works at the USGS, assisting with the scientific direction of the Landslide Hazards Program and managing landslide external assistance. Additionally, he supports landslide emergency response. His career began as a geologist for the State of Washington, assessing hundreds of landslides and communicating hazards to non-geologists. This proved critical during disasters such as the 2014 SR 530 “Oso” landslide, where in the first weeks of the recovery, he coordinated the geologic response. Following that event and legislative direction, Stephen established the Landslide Hazard Program at the Washington Geological Survey in 2016. In 2019, Stephen joined USGS and launched the joint USAID–USGS Landslide Disaster Assistance Team, coordinating international landslide emergency response. In 2023, he established the USGS Cooperative Landslide Hazard Mapping and Assessment Grant Program. The grant program has had two successful awards and is looking forward to a third.—William Burns

Matthew D. Covington is Associate Professor at the University of Arkansas. His scientific achievements include discovery and application of conceptually sophisticated and technically rigorous innovative contributions to karst and glaciology. His unconventional academic preparation in astrophysics and exceptional field experience in caving provided him with deep insights into karst processes. His cross-disciplinary, physics-based approaches are novel and insightful ways of addressing challenging problems. He developed analytical mathematical models and examined scaling relationships among fundamental physical parameters. He adroitly integrates modeling with mapping, measurements, and chemical analyses of water samples. His results are a testament to the benefit of bringing new perspectives and previously underutilized tools to his research areas. This approach applies widely across problems he has tackled. Substantial contributions include demonstration of mechanistic analogy between development of karst drainage networks and glacial dissolution features, and elucidation of specific controls on flow path and landform development in carbonate terrains and glaciers.—Michael Sukop

Benjamin W. Tobin is a geologist and karst hydrogeologist, with a research portfolio that includes fundamental and applied science, and works closely with the National Park Service and other federal agencies to apply hydrology, biology, and geology for resource management and stewardship in caves and karst settings. He has mentored future geoscientists in many ways, both in more traditional academic formats as well as through his positions with the Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS), National Park Service, and now as the director of National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI). As one of the founding members of the Karst Division, he has a long history of service to GSA and GSA associated societies.—Daniel Jones

Anne J. Jefferson is the Robert F. and Genevieve B. Patrick Endowed Chair in Watershed Science at the University of Vermont. Previously she was an associate professor at Kent State University in the Department of Geology, and Assistant Professor of Earth Sciences at University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her research focuses on water in urban environments, combining field studies, lab work and numerical modeling. She is a watershed hydrologist and geomorphologist who “works where people live, work, and play”. Within and beyond the urban environment, Dr. Jefferson is also interested in climate change’s effects on winter snowpacks and flood regimes and in how environmental decisions are made. She interweaves science communication, support for young geoscientists, education, and public engagement throughout her professional activities. Since 2020 she has served on the board of directors for the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Sciences Inc (CUAHSI).—Martha Eppes

Adam Michael Milewski received his BS in Geology from the University at Buffalo (2004) and his PhD in Hydrogeology from Western Michigan University (WMU; 2008). After working 3 years as Principal Research Associate in the Earth Sciences Remote Sensing Facility at WMU, he joined the Department of Geology at the University of Georgia (UGA) as Assistant Professor in 2011. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2016 and to Professor in 2021, and he has served as Department Head since 2023. He directs the Water Resources & Remote Sensing Laboratory at UGA. He has advised seven PhD graduates and 12 MS graduates at UGA and co-advised a PhD graduate at WMU. He has led training programs in hydrologic science for Moroccan, Egyptian, Turkish, Indonesian, and U.S. students. His work focuses on understanding recharge dynamics in arid systems and on evaluation and use of satellite remote sensing in solving complex geologic and hydrologic problems.—Alan Fryar

Lee Hsiang Liow joined GSA as a graduate student (2004) and is now a leader in her field of Evolutionary Biology as a Professor in the Natural History Museum at the University of Oslo. Dr. Liow combines empirical data from the fossil/stratigraphic record, with innovative scientific theory and the newest numerical-analytical methods, in a phylogenetic context based on mega-genetic databases generated in her lab. She is qualified as a GSA Fellow in Scientific Achievement based on her 97 publications with more than 5,700 citations. Through EU and other funding, Lee Hsiang has supported the development of many early career scientists in fields of paleology, molecular biology and phylogenetics, paleoecology, quantitative modeling of evolutionary processes, and biomineralization. Dr. Liow facilitates interdisciplinary studies, having organized multiple special sessions at GSA. She brings the mission and ethos of GSA to cognate science venues. Lee Hsiang is the expert Geo-Paleonto-Bio-logist in the room.—Steven Hageman