We are delighted to announce that leading earth scientist Professor Ros Rickaby has been appointed to our Academic Council.

Professor Rickaby is a marine biogeochemist and Chair of Geology at the University of Oxford, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2022.

Her UK research environment experience, earth sciences, ocean and climate disciplinary expertise, and interdisciplinary leadership will make her a valuable and complementary addition to our Academic Council. Professor Rickaby has an existing association with Schmidt Science Fellows and a commitment to interdisciplinary science, having hosted a Fellow from our 2020 cohort and contributed to programming at our Science Leadership Program.

Council Members provide bespoke mentoring to individual Schmidt Science Fellows and, as a Council, act as an advisory group to Program leadership.

Chair of the Schmidt Science Fellows Academic Council Professor John Boothroyd said: “Our Academic Council is at its strongest when it can reflect and draw upon the broadest range of experiences and expertise from the very best research leaders.  Professor Rickaby is an outstanding scientist and an excellent addition to the Council who will benefit our Fellows greatly in terms of mentoring and advice.”

Professor Rickaby leads the OceanBUG research group. Her work focuses on complex interactions between the evolution of organisms, ocean chemistry, atmospheric composition, and Earth’s climate. It utilizes a combination of geochemical, microbiological, and genomic approaches to read the geological history of both climate and the chemical environment.

She said: “Having previously hosted a Schmidt Science Fellow within our research lab I have been able to see the extraordinary benefits of this innovative program first-hand. I am delighted to be supporting a new generation of interdisciplinary science leaders and look forward to contributing to this Program as it goes from strength to strength.”