Barbara Sherwood Lollar facts for kids

Barbara Sherwood Lollar is a Canadian geologist and professor. She is famous for her amazing research into water that is billions of years old. She currently teaches in the Earth Sciences Department at the University of Toronto.

In 2007, she was given a special role as a Canada Research Chair. This position focused on studying isotopes in Earth's environment. She continued in this important role until 2014.

Early Life and Education

Barbara Sherwood Lollar was born on February 19, 1963, in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Her parents, John M Sherwood and Joan Sherwood, were historians and professors at Queen's University, Kingston.

She studied Geological Sciences at Harvard University, earning her first degree. Later, she received her Ph.D. in Earth Sciences from the University of Waterloo in 1990. She also completed advanced research at the University of Cambridge. In 1992, she joined the University of Toronto as a professor.

Career Highlights

Professor Sherwood Lollar has written more than 200 scientific papers. These papers are about geochemistry, which is the study of the chemistry of the Earth. They also cover Earth and planetary sciences.

She has guided over 100 students and researchers from all over the world. She often works with other well-known scientists. These include Tullis Onstott and Lisa Pratt. They collaborate on large international research projects.

Awards and Recognition

Barbara Sherwood Lollar has received many important awards for her work.

• In 2004, she became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. This is a high honor for Canadian scholars.
• She was made a Senior Fellow of Massey College in 2010.
• In 2012, she received the ENI award, which recognizes breakthroughs in energy and environmental research.
• She became a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union in 2015.
• In 2016, she won the John C. Polanyi Award from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.
• Also in 2016, she was named a Companion of the Order of Canada. This is one of Canada's highest civilian honors. She received it for her "revolutionary contributions to geochemistry." Her work helped develop new ways to clean up groundwater. Her discovery of ancient fluids also has meaning for finding life on other planets.
• The Royal Society of Canada also gave her the Bancroft Award in 2016.
• She received the Logan Medal in 2018.
• In 2019, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very old and respected scientific academy in the United Kingdom.
• She became a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2021. This was for her work in understanding Earth's water and atmosphere.
• On May 6, 2019, she received the Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering. This is Canada's highest award for science and engineering.
• In 2024, she was awarded the Nemmers Prize in Earth Science. This prize recognized her "groundbreaking discoveries" about Earth's water and carbon cycles.