Conference: 2026 Geobiology Gordon Research Conference and Seminar

This project supports the participation of early career scientists in the 2026 Geobiology Gordon Research Seminar and Gordon Research Conference. Geobiology is the study of interactions between life and the physical Earth, both in the modern and ancient worlds. It merges the disciplines of paleontology, sedimentology, microbiology, chemistry, and geology. At the heart of the field of Geobiology is how the living planet and its changes over time are documented, understood, and interpreted. This, in turn, leads to questions of what controls the variety of metabolisms on the planet today, as well as the role that microbes play in the formation and change of Earth’s surface. Throughout this conference, participants will explore the physiological limits of life, the role that microbial populations play in key processes including the formation of minerals (especially those critical to humans), the links between microbes and geochemical processes, and emerging analytical/numerical tools to further investigate these ideas. The 2026 Gordon Research Conference will enable the exchange of ideas, tools, and expertise to promote collaboration among scientists to help human society and build a more cohesive STEM workforce. The conference will highlight open questions, applications of geobiological techniques to private industry, and new experimental approaches in the field. This conference will gather ~150 scientists, students, and postdoctoral research fellows within the field of Geobiology. The scientific sessions are centered around nine themes, each of which is key to understanding the role of life on a living planet. This conference and the accompanying Gordon Research Seminar (which focuses solely on graduate students and postdoctoral scholars) will include sessions with invited speakers, discussion leaders, and poster sessions. Participants attend all sessions and eat all meals in succession together to ensure a focused meeting and foster interactions among active and junior scientists. Anticipated outcomes include advances in analytical/numerical tools, as well as more uniform data quality standards in various subdisciplines. The format of the conference, the range of topics, and the interactive community of people engaged in active research will foster increased participation in Geobiology. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.