Featured Stories, MIT, MIT EAPS, News | January 26, 2017

Ono is 2017 EAG Medallist

Shuhei Ono (credit: Helen Hill)
Shuhei Ono (credit: Helen Hill)

Prof Shuhei Ono receives the 2017 Paul Gast Lectureship of the European Association of Geochemistry.

By Helen Hill

Associate Professor of Biogeochemistry Shuhei Ono uses stable isotopes to understand the interplay between the atmosphere, rocks, water and microbes with a particular focus on non-conventional isotope systems to explore frontiers in isotope geochemistry. Research in his group involves the application of multiple-sulfur isotope systems to study reaction pathways in sulfur biogeochemical cycles. By applying this unique technique in the study of deep biosphere, and seafloor hydrothermal systems as well as to deep time earth history, he seeks to understand the origin of mass-independent sulfur isotope fractionation as a unique record of early Earth’s atmospheric chemistry and microbial evolution. Ono’s research combines fieldwork and analysis of natural samples with laboratory experiment.

Current research projects include sulfur isotope (32S/33S/34S/36S) effects during photochemistry and microbial processes to bring new insights into sulfur cycles in deep time and deep biosphere, methane clumped isotopologue, 13CH3D, as a new tracer for the source of geologic and atmospheric methane, and application of nitrous oxide (14N15NO vs. 15N14NO) isotopomer ratios for inversion modeling.

Ono holds a B.Sc. in Geology from Waseda University, Tokyo, and a Ph.D. in Geochemistry from Pennsylvania State University (2001). After postdoctoral research at the Geophysical Laboratory of Carnegie Institution of Washington. He joined the MIT faculty in 2007.

The Paul W. Gast Award is bestowed jointly by the European Association of Geochemistry and the Geochemical Society and is named in honor of Paul W. Gast, the first Goldschmidt medallist of the Geochemical Society. This lectureship is awarded to a mid-career scientist for outstanding contributions to geochemistry. Ono’s lecture will be presented as a plenary at this year’s Goldschmidt Conference in Paris, France, August 13-18, 2017.