Noah Planavsky, assistant professor of geology and geophysics, is among 126 U.S. and Canadian researchers who were awarded a $50,000 Sloan Research Fellowship to advance their work.
The fellowship program honors early-career scientists and scholars whose achievements and potential identify them as rising stars — part of the next generation of scientific leaders. The fellowships are awarded in eight scientific and technical fields: chemistry, computer science, economics, mathematics, computational and evolutionary molecular biology, neuroscience, ocean sciences, and physics.
Fellow scientists nominate candidates for the Sloan Research Fellowships, and the winners are selected by an independent panel of senior scholars on the basis of a candidate’s independent research accomplishments, creativity, and potential to become a leader in his or her field.
Planavsky’s research focuses on the history and effects of Earth’s oxygenation. He studies connections between the evolution of Earth-system processes, biological innovation, and ecosystem change, primarily in Earth’s early history.
“The Sloan Fellowships provide a wonderful opportunity to explore new ideas and develop new techniques — something for which traditional funding sources are typically not available,” Planavsky said. “I was thrilled and honored to hear about the fellowship. My group is employing novel metal isotope measurements to track the history of life in the oceans. The fellowship will help us make big strides in this area.”
Previous Sloan Research Fellows include the renowned physicists Richard Feynman and Murray Gell-Man, and game theorist John Nash. Since the program began in 1955, 43 fellows have received a Nobel Prize in their respective field, 16 have won the Fields Medal in mathematics, 68 have received the National Medal of Science, and 15 have won the John Bates Clark Medal in economics, including every winner since 2007. More information on the achievements of former Sloan Research Fellows can be found online.
For a complete list of winners, visit the website.
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a philanthropic, not-for-profit, grant-making institution based in New York City. Established in 1934 by Alfred Pritchard Sloan Jr., then-president and chief executive officer of the General Motors Corporation, the foundation makes grants in support of original research and education in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and economic performance. Visit the website for more information.”