Francien Peterse to receive John Hayes Award

Earth scientist Francien Peterse, Associate Professor at Utrecht University, will receive the 2026 John Hayes Award from the Geochemical Society. This prestigious award is given to a mid-career scientist for outstanding accomplishments that draw together multiple fields of investigation to advance biogeochemical science.

Dr Peterse is recognized for work that has significantly advanced the field of organic geochemistry by developing and applying biomarker proxies for continental climate reconstructions. She is challenged by unraveling the mechanisms that explain proxy behaviour and subsequently applying these proxies to suitable climate archives on land. This has resulted in parallel reconstructions of past temperature and moisture balance for e.g. monsoonal East Asia and equatorial East Africa. Another line of research focuses on the organic carbon cycle, and the fate of terrestrial organic matter in the (coastal) marine realm in particular.

Difference

“It is an honour to receive the John Hayes Award and to see my name added to the list of previous winners. I feel very seen and rewarded by the organic geochemistry community. This award would not have been possible without my current and former group members, analytical support in the lab, and mentorship of many along the way. I have always had mixed feelings about the whole award system in general due to the bias in nominations that exists, so I want to make use of this opportunity to call out everyone to submit nominations for your peers and other people you look up to. Your nomination can make a difference."

Pioneering

John Hayes (1940 – 2017) was an American oceanographer. With his pioneering work Hayes was a leader in the fields of organic geochemistry and biogeochemistry. He was the first to measure the distribution of the isotopes of carbon within biolipids, an innovation that provided a foundation for new studies of the pathways of carbon in natural environments, both modern and ancient. The John Hayes Award was created in 2017 by the Geochemical Society's Organic Geochemistry Division and a group of friends, colleagues, and students of John Hayes.