Awarded to: Sylvie Demouchy
Abstract: Diffusion of Hydrogen in the Earth’s Mantle & Consequences for our Planet
Medal lecture in:
Session 07e in Salle Passy on Thursday 17th August 14:30 - 15:15

Citation: Sylvie Demouchy has been awarded the EMU Research Excellence Medal for 2016 for her scientific leadership in experimental geochemistry and mineral physics, her scientific breadth and her extensive service to the academic community. She completed her PhD at the Bayerisches Geoinstitut in Germany and subsequently went on to post-doctoral positions at the Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, and the University of Minnesota. In 2007 she moved to the CNRS in Montpellier, where she is currently a tenure researcher in the Mantle-Interfaces research group. She has 30+ major publications in top international journals, making significant breakthroughs in the understanding of water in and the plasticity of mantle minerals. She has consistently demonstrated that rheological laws established at high-temperature can not be extrapolated to lithospheric conditions, and has elegantly demonstrated that hydrolytic weakening of olivine is likely only a minor effect in the uppermost mantle. In addition to her research achievements, Sylvie has been involved in several European research programmes, has trained a large number of MSc and PhD research students and other young scientists, has organised conferences and sessions and has acted a panel member and referee for many scientific papers. Her remarkable achievements in this early part of her career makes Sylvie a very deserving awardee of the 2016 EMU Medal.