UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Susan L. Brantley, the Dr. Hubert Barnes and Dr. Mary Barnes Professor in Geosciences, has been named an Evan Pugh University Professor, the highest honor that Penn State bestows on a faculty member. This prestigious distinction has been conferred by Penn State to only 79 faculty members since the designation’s establishment in 1960. Her appointment is effective July 1.
“Throughout her more than three decades as a faculty member at Penn State, Sue has made dramatic advances in the science of aqueous geochemistry, geochemical kinetics and microbial biogeochemistry,” said Tom Richard, professor of agricultural and biological engineering and director of Penn State’s Institutes of Energy and the Environment. “She developed and nurtured an international community of scholars in Critical Zone Observatories, along the way pioneering an entirely new paradigm for interdisciplinary environmental research. And she has mentored generations of students and faculty, many of whom have gone on to become academic leaders in their own right. Penn State is extraordinarily lucky to have benefited from her creativity and commitment.”
Brantley is an international leader in the field of hydrogeochemistry. Her research focuses on the physical, chemical and biological interactions that occur between rock, water, air and living organisms in the critical zone, a term that scientists use to describe the zone extending from bedrock to the treetops, where rock meets life.
“Throughout my career at Penn State, I have always sought to involve students at all levels in my research,” said Brantley. “The opportunity to be an Evan Pugh University Professor will allow me to involve more students in meaningful hands-on research opportunities in the laboratory, field and modeling.”
Brantley, who joined the Penn State faculty in 1986, received a bachelor of arts in chemistry, a master of arts in geological and geophysical sciences, and a doctorate in geological and geophysical sciences, all from Princeton University. She is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the Geological Society of America, the Geochemical Society, the European Association of Geochemistry and the International Association of GeoChemistry. She is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences. She also was awarded the Arthur L. Day Medal from the Geological Society of America and the Wollaston Medal from the Geological Society of London.
The professorships are named for Penn State’s founding president, Evan Pugh, a renowned chemist and scholar who was at the helm of the University from 1859 to 1864. The Evan Pugh Professorships are awarded to faculty members who are nationally or internationally recognized leaders in their fields of research or creative activity; demonstrate significant leadership in raising the standards of the University with respect to teaching, research or creativity, and service; display excellent teaching skills with undergraduate and graduate students who go on to achieve distinction in their fields; and receive support from colleagues who also are leaders in their disciplines.
“In her scholarship and action, Sue exemplifies the Evan Pugh University Professorship criteria,” said Richard.