Purdue geochemistry professor named 2022 Sloan Fellow

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A Purdue University geochemist’s innovative research involving noble gases, which are elements that exhibit high stability and very low reactivity, has garnered attention throughout the scientific community. Now, she has been named a 2022 Sloan Research Fellow.

Marissa Tremblay, an assistant professor of geochemistry in the College of Science’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, has developed a method for measuring the temperature history of continental surfaces using noble gases trapped in minerals. The development of this method has led to significant advances in learning more about the history of temperature and answering climate change questions.

Tremblay’s research and innovation do not end there. In addition, she used noble gases to determine the time between volcanic flows during the formation of the Deccan Traps. The formation of the region, located in west-central India, has often been linked to the mass extinction event that killed non-avian dinosaurs. Tremblay and her team are generating a more detailed timeline by determining how long it takes for these flows to occur using noble gases.

It is not just the scientific community that Tremblay has impacted, but the Purdue community, too. Numerous graduate and undergraduate students conduct research in the lab, called Thermochronology @ Purdue, that Tremblay has built. Her lab’s one-of-a kind equipment will help researchers make a significant contribution to the field of noble gas measurement for years to come.

The scientific community has taken note of Tremblay’s dedication, contribution and expertise in her field of study. In 2020, the American Association for Advancement of Science presented Tremblay the Marion Milligan Mason Award for Women in Chemical Sciences. That same year, she also received the Doris M. Curtis Outstanding Woman in Science Award from the Geological Society of America.

And now, Tremblay can add the distinction of being named a 2022 Sloan Research Fellow to that list.  

Established in 1955, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s Sloan Research Fellowships honor outstanding early-career researchers whose creativity, innovation and research accomplishments make them stand out as the next great leaders of the generation. The foundation draws from a variety of institutions across the United States and Canada, ultimately selecting 118 researchers to be honored each year. Former Sloan Research Fellows selected for this honor have gone on to become distinguished figures in science. 

With being awarded this honor, Sloan Research Fellows will receive a two-year, $75,000 fellowship that can be used to advance their research.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges. Ranked in each of the last four years as one of the 10 Most Innovative universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://purdue.edu/.

Writer: Margaret Mowrer

Media contact: Brittany Steff, bsteff@purdue.edu

Source: Marissa Tremblay, tremblam@purdue.edu