The recipient of the 2025 Research Excellence Award of the European Mineralogical Union is
Prof. Julie Cosmidis
(Oxford University, UK).
Julie Cosmidis has obtained her PhD in 2013 Paris (France). After two years of postdoctoral studies in the University of Boulder (Colorado), she joined Pennsylvania State University as an assistant professor. In 2020, she returned to Europe as an associate professor at Oxford University.
Her principal research interest is using biomineralization to track microbial activity over geological time. She combines cutting-edges tools such as nano-scale analyses and imaging (EXAFS, TEM, cryo-TEM, STXM, Raman Spectroscopy) and laboratory experiments to provide constraints on the geological record of biomineralization processes. She is currently the recipient of an ERC-CoG grant dedicated to understanding the driving forces of biomineralization leading to the bioproduction of high-value minerals.
Julie Cosmidis was notably able to constrain the biogeochemical cycles of phosphorous and iron in a ferruginous lake (Pavin Lake, France), showing the formation of amorphous phosphates by microbial bodies in this analogue of Precambrian oceans. She also developed experiments on hydroxyapatite biomineralization. She has extended our understanding of biomineralization processes by studying carbonates, sulfur, sulfides and silicates, and even discovered novel abiotic carbon and sulfur microstructures which can be mistaken for biological remains in the fossil record.
In addition to her ground-breaking experiments in biomineralogy, her dedication to her community is attested by her strong involvement as an editor. She is the principal Editor of Geo-Bio Interfaces, board member of Geobiology and Microbiological Chemistry and Geomicrobiology. She regularly participates in media events for the general public.
Julie Cosmidis has emerged as a leading figure in the field of biomineralization at the international level, by combining leading-edge experiments in mineralogy and biochemistry and nano-scale investigations to constraint the driving forces of biomineralization. For the major impact of her numerous achievements, Julie Cosmidis is truly worthy to receive the EMU Medal for Research Excellence 2025.