We are delighted to announce that the winners of the 2023 Gao Shan Young Scientist Award are Drs. Zhengbin Deng and Chunfei Chen. Each year, this award honors no more than two early-career scientists (age ≤ 35) who have made outstanding contributions to geochemistry. The award is presented annually by the Gao Shan Young Scientist Award Foundation at China University of Geosciences (Wuhan). In December 2018, the nomination was launched for the first time, and this is the sixth year. The award selection is mainly based on the scientific merit of the nominee and the quality of the nomination. All candidates were evaluated and voted by fifty-six outstanding geochemists invited by the Foundation. Brief introduction of this year’s two winners are as follows:

     Dr. Zhengbin Deng, University of Science and Technology of China

Dr. Zhengbin Deng is dedicated to the development of novel metal isotope techniques and has made significant contributions to the understanding of solar nebular processes and the geological evolution of Mars and Earth. He established Si and 26Al-Mg isotope methods for low-mass samples and applied them to reconstruct the condensation processes of nebular gas reservoirs and the formation conditions of chondrules. He revealed that the martian crust had been highly oxidized during the early impact remelting process and proposed that the hydrogen released by this process may have led to a greenhouse effect and a warm climate lasting for millions of years on early Mars. He unraveled that the sources of Archean granitoids have commonly been contaminated by cherts, pinpointing the earliest onset of supracrustal recycling on Earth. He first showed the complications of Ti isotope fractionation over magma differentiation and provided a viable solution to the controversy surrounding the emergence of felsic continental crust on Earth. He discovered a secular evolution of stable Ti isotopic composition in terrestrial mantle-derived rocks and proposed that Earth’s mantle likely underwent a recent transition between layered and whole-mantle convective regimes.

Dr. Chunfei Chen, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan

Chen Chunfei, has distinguished himself through his internationally recognized contributions to the essential discipline of Earth science, focusing on the deep carbon cycle. Through the observation of natural samples combined with experimental petrology simulations, he and his co-authors have thoroughly examined the carbon cycle processes within subduction zones. Their pioneering research uncovered that the subduction of carbonate-rich crustal materials channels substantial amounts of carbon and chlorine from the Earth's surface into the deep mantle. This pivotal mechanism is instrumental in driving and regulating the development and continuity of Earth's life-supporting environment. Their findings highlight how this dynamic contributes to the generation of vast quantities of diamonds and the establishment of chlorine-abundant reservoirs in the mantle, shedding light on the critical influence of plate tectonics in fostering conditions conducive to life on Earth. Furthermore, Chunfei's work has demonstrated that thick limestone strata can be subducted into the mantle wedge in their solid carbonate state, ultimately creating a carbon reservoir at the junctures of converging tectonic plates. This reservoir plays a key role in modulating the Earth's deep climate over geological timescales. Additionally, his research has provided clarity on the compositional variations and fractionation processes of calcium isotopes within the mantle and oceanic crust evolution, significantly bolstering the application of calcium isotopes as tracers for deep-seated volatiles and the ongoing evolution of the mantle.

Gao Shan Young Scientist Award Foundation

February 18, 2024