Conference Description
The 2020 Organic Geochemistry GRC will explore the central role of organic matter in shaping the history of our planet, and in its future. In doing so, it marks the 50th anniversary of the first Organic Geochemistry GRC and celebrates the vibrant relationship the field enjoys with other disciplines. Organic geochemistry emerged from the confluence of analytical and natural product chemistry, the life sciences, and the Earth and planetary sciences. Its vibrancy over the past 50 years is due largely to the unique combinations of those disciplines, and the many new disciplines it has since embraced. The 2020 GRC will examine new frontiers in classical areas as well as the interfacing disciplines that are now driving the field's evolution. Topics will range from the origin of life and the evolution of biomolecules and biogeochemical processes; the biophysical foundation of molecular proxies; under-explored organic geochemical archives; the structure and preservation of organic matter; the opportunities and pitfalls of data intensive analyses; and the critical role of our field in answering the challenges of the 21st century. Organic matter is a central component of the Earth and life, and despite all that we have learned over the past 50 years there is much yet to discover. We invite scientists from all disciplines and from all career stages to join us in Holderness in 2020, to discuss the exciting topics that will inform the next 50 years of organic geochemical research.
We are actively procuring financial support, which will allow us to support the attendance of early career researchers and especially those from under-represented minority and international groups.
The topics, speakers, and discussion leaders for the conference sessions are displayed below. The conference chair is currently developing their detailed program, which will include the complete meeting schedule, as well as the talk titles for all speakers. The detailed program will be available by April 2, 2020. Please check back for updates.
The Limits of Our Understanding of Organic Matter
Discussion Leaders
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Erdem Idiz (University of Oxford, United Kingdom)
Speakers
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Sylvie Derenne (École Pratique des Hautes Études / CNRS / Sorbonne University, France)
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Roland Pellenq (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA)
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Alon Amrani (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel)
The Evolutionary and Geological History of Biosynthetic and Metabolic Pathways
Discussion Leaders
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Paula Welander (Stanford University, USA)
Speakers
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Jochen Brocks (Australian National University, Australia)
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Betul Kacar (University of Arizona, USA)
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Sarah Hurley (University of Colorado Boulder, USA)
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Patrick Shih (University of California, Davis, USA)
Interfaces Between Organic and Inorganic Chemistry: Preservation, Destruction and Interactions
Discussion Leaders
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Johan Weijers (Shell, The Netherlands)
Speakers
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Elizabeth Coward (University of Delaware, USA)
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Christian Maerz (University of Leeds, United Kingdom)
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Sander Van Den Boorn (Shell Global Solutions, The Netherlands)
Lipid Membranes: From Biophysics to Adaptation to Novel Proxies
Discussion Leaders
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Nicole Bale (Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), The Netherlands)
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Florence Schubotz (MARUM, University of Bremen, Germany)
Speakers
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Phil Oger (Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon, France)
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Guy Schleyer (Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel)
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Laura Villanueva (Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, The Netherlands)
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Jiasong Fang (Hadal Science and Technology Research Center, Shanghai Ocean University, China)
Big Data Approaches to Obtain New Understanding of Geological Systems
Discussion Leaders
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Jeff Sheremata (Phillips 66, USA)
Speakers
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Thomas Abraham (Microsoft, USA)
The Myriad Pools and Archives of OM: Beyond Lipids
Discussion Leaders
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Ryan Pereira (Lyell Centre, United Kingdom)
Speakers
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Asmeret Asefaw Berhe (University of California, Merced, USA)
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Peter Hernes (University of California, Davis, USA)
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Thomas Blattmann (Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science Technology, Japan)
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Anja Engel (GEOMAR - Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Germany)
The Organic Geochemistry of the Arctic
Discussion Leaders
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Bart van Dongen (University of Manchester, United Kingdom)
Speakers
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Naomi Harada (Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Japan)
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Birgit Wild (Stockholm University, Sweden)
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Carolyn Ruppel (U.S. Geological Survey, USA)
Measuring and Deciphering Intramolecular Isotopes Across Space and Time
Discussion Leaders
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Kate Freeman (Pennsylvania State University, USA)
Speakers
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Alexis Gilbert (Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan)
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Peter Douglas (McGill University, Canada)
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Barbara Sherwood Lollar (University of Toronto, Canada)
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Cajetan Neubauer (Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg, Germany)
Late-Breaking Topics
Discussion Leaders
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Julia Krawielicki (ETH Zurich, Switzerland)
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Elise Wilkes (California Institute of Technology, USA)
Speakers
The GRC Power Hour™
Organizers:
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Florence Schubotz (MARUM, University of Bremen, Germany)
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Richard Pancost (Cabot Institute for the Environment, University of Bristol, United Kingdom)
