We are delighted to announce the individuals that have been elected to the 2026 class of Meteoritical Society Fellows! Fellow nominations are submitted by members, and the Leonard Medal Committee then reviews those nominations and makes a recommendation to Council for the slate of individuals to be awarded as Fellows. Meteoritical Society Fellows are elected by Council in even-numbered years, and no more than 1% of the membership can be elected for each class. The 2026 Meteoritical Society Fellows are:
- Pierre Beck (France) – For his major contributions to the study of mineralogy and spectroscopy studies of carbonaceous chondrites and shock effects in meteorites.
- James Day (USA) – For his leading studies combining the petrology and geochemistry of siderophile and volatile element compositions to solve major cosmochemical problems.
- Matthew Genge (UK) – For his leading studies of the mineralogy and composition of micrometeorites and establishing Earth’s cosmic dust sources.
- Hiroshi Hidaka (Japan) – For his studies of the neutron capture effects and cosmic-ray irradiation exposure on the isotopic composition of meteorites and lunar samples.
- Motoo Ito (Japan) – For his major contributions in refining isotopic and elemental analyses at the micrometer to sub-micrometer scale of minerals and organic–mineral assemblages in meteorites and returned samples.
- Martin Lee (UK) – For his significant contributions to the mineralogy of aqueous alteration and microstructural characterization of carbonaceous chondrites and returned carbonaceous materials.
- Ming-Chang Liu (USA) – For his significant contributions to short-lived radionuclide systematics in refractory inclusions and the development of ion probe measurements.
- Kuljeet Marhas (India) – For her leading investigations of short-lived radionuclides and isotopic compositions of meteorites and presolar grains using secondary ion mass spectrometry.
- Susanne Schwenzer (UK) – For her major contributions to the study of water-rock interaction and noble gases in martian rocks and at analog sites, and to the Mars exploration programmes.
- Caroline Smith (UK) – For her major scientific and curatorial work in planning for Mars sample return missions and her outstanding service to the Society.
- Tomohiro Usui (Japan) – For his significant contributions to volatile element history in martian meteorites and his leadership in sample return missions.
- Richard Walker (USA) – For his significant contributions to the study of highly siderophile elements and their isotopic compositions to better understand core formation and planetary formation reservoirs.
The 2026 class of Meteoritical Society Fellows will be recognized and awarded certificates during the award ceremony at the annual Meteoritical Society, which will be held in person in Frankfurt, Germany, from 9 – 14 August, 2026. Thank you to everyone who took the time to nominate deserving colleagues for Fellows, and thank you to the Leonard Medal Committee for their work leading the selection process.