Janet Hering: 2025 Geochemistry Medalist

Join us in congratulating Professor Janet Hering for her selection as the 2025 Geochemistry Division Medalist!

The ACS Geochemistry (GEOC) Division has selected Professor Janet Hering as the recipient of the 2025 Geochemistry Division Medal. One of GEOC’s missions is to "encourage the highest standards of excellence in developing and applying knowledge of chemistry and related sciences as they pertain to the understanding and exploration of Earth’s geosphere and extraterrestrial bodies." Professor Hering exemplifies this mission through her outstanding scientific accomplishments, impactful leadership, and dedicated service to the geochemistry community.

Professor Janet Hering is Director Emerita of the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science & Technology (Eawag) and Professor Emerita at both the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich (ETHZ) and Lausanne (EPFL) since 2023. Before moving to Switzerland in 2007, she was a faculty member at Caltech and UCLA. She is an elected member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and Academia Europaea.

Throughout her career, Professor Hering’s research has focused on the biogeochemical cycling of trace elements in natural waters, treatment technologies for removing inorganic contaminants from drinking water, and the exchange of knowledge at the interface of science, policy, and practice. She has also been a strong advocate for diversity in academia, particularly in supporting women in academic leadership. In 2015, she received the Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering Award from IUPAC. Professor Hering was the founding Vice Chair of the ETH Women Professors Forum, serving as Vice Chair from 2012 to 2016 and Chair from 2016 to 2020.

The Geochemistry Division Medal will be presented to Professor Hering at the 2025 ACS Spring Meeting in San Diego. In her honor, the GEOC Division is organizing a special symposium.