Citation by Katharine Huntington
Julia Kelson is a pioneering isotope geochemist and paleoclimatologist whose research advances new frontiers at the intersection of past, present, and future climate science. By integrating laboratory innovation, field observation, global data synthesis, and modeling to study modern processes and reconstruct past environments, she addresses fundamental questions about how Earth’s how climate, topography, and surface processes co-evolve. Her work embodies the intellectual creativity and methodological rigor that characterize the best of the emerging generation of Earth science leaders.
A cornerstone of Dr. Kelson’s research is the refinement and application of stable isotope proxies, particularly clumped isotopes (Δ47) and triple oxygen isotopes (Δʹ17O). These tools are now essential to paleoclimate science but remain technically demanding and conceptually complex. She has been at the forefront of developing, validating, and applying them to new problems.
Dr. Kelson’s early work strengthened methodological foundations of carbonate clumped isotope geochemistry. With remarkable foresight, she designed experiments to investigate the source of disagreement among clumped isotope thermometer calibrations. Dr. Kelson’s results revealed a fundamental problem (and the remedy) with calculation methods that introduced systematic errors in previously collected data. This finding led to international community efforts to align methods and establish FAIR data archiving, enabling discovery from recalculated published data and robust new datasets alike. Dr. Kelson’s experimentally synthesized carbonates were the go-to for producing the most up-to-date temperature calibration, which is still the gold standard. These advances marked a major step forward in the field that will benefit geochemistry for years to come.
Dr. Kelson’s authoritative work on stable isotopes in modern and ancient soil carbonates has advanced new proxies for reconstructing paleoclimate and soil carbon processes. Through careful calibration, modeling, and meta-analysis of clumped isotope data, she showed how carbonate formation processes must be rigorously understood to recover accurate paleotemperature and hydrologic signals. Her synthesis of clumped isotope data set a new benchmark for interpretation, clarifying long-standing ambiguities about when and how soil carbonates preserve environmental signals and providing clear directions for future research. Equally significant is her work on triple oxygen isotopes: by integrating Δʹ17O into paleoclimate research, Dr. Kelson broadened the scope of stable isotope geochemistry, demonstrating its power for reconstructing past humidity and evaporation and challenging long-standing assumptions in arid-land studies. By illuminating the conditions under which soil carbonates form and the signals they preserve, she has strengthened one of the most important terrestrial records of past climate change.
She applies these tools with creativity and precision, from Holocene soils to Eocene estuaries, producing elegant records of temperature, seasonality, humidity, and paleoelevation. By combining clumped and triple oxygen isotopes with traditional δ13C and δ18O data, Dr. Kelson has produced nuanced reconstructions of past climates. Her 2022 Geology paper exemplifies this approach, integrating multiple isotopic systems to reveal new insights into Holocene and Eocene hydroclimates, coastal–montane interactions, and paleotopography. She consistently connects fine-scale laboratory data to large-scale environmental and tectonic questions, bridging scales in ways few early-career scientists achieve. Each study addresses a major Earth science question, yet together they form a coherent vision: understanding how climate, topography, and the carbon cycle interact across timescales.
Dr. Kelson’s impact extends well beyond her publications. She is a generous mentor, collaborative colleague, and active leader in professional service. She has trained students in isotope geochemistry, guiding them through the challenges of laboratory work while fostering independence and creativity. She has also advanced community efforts to improve reproducibility and transparency, contributing to workshops and global initiatives that strengthen the field. Dr. Kelson’s meticulous research, combined with a spirit of openness and collaboration, has made her work widely trusted and influential. Colleagues consistently describe her as rigorous, collegial, and generous—qualities that advance not only her own research but also the collective progress of Earth science.
In summary, Dr. Kelson’s research exemplifies breadth, depth, originality, and integrity. She has advanced two powerful isotope proxies in paleoclimatology, applied them to pressing questions about Earth’s history, and helped lead community efforts to ensure isotope science is transparent and reproducible. By integrating laboratory innovation, fieldwork, synthesis, and modeling, she has produced elegant, impactful studies that have already reshaped how geologists interpret carbonate archives. She brings the same rigor and generosity to mentorship, collaboration, and service, strengthening the broader geoscience community. The promise of her future work is unmistakable: she will continue to expand what isotope geochemistry can reveal about Earth’s climate system and landscapes. Julia Kelson is a remarkable scientist and colleague whose early-career contributions already mark a major advance in Earth sciences, making her a most deserving Donath Medalist.
Response by Julia Kelson
I'm deeply honored to accept this year's Donath Medal. This award reflects not only my work but the generous support and collaboration of mentors, colleagues, and students.
As an undergraduate at Dartmouth College, I discovered the breadth of career opportunities in the Earth sciences, thanks to the inspiring faculty—especially my thesis mentor, Bob Hawley.
At the University of Washington, I was fortunate to join a vibrant community of mentors and peers. Foremost, my PhD supervisor, Kate Huntington, shaped my curiosities into meaningful research and demonstrated how to integrate climate, tectonics, and geochemistry with elegance. My fellow graduate students and "super-groupers" remain cherished friends and valued colleagues.
During my postdoc at the University of Michigan, I was supported by a dream team of geochemists and paleoclimatologists. I'm grateful to Sierra Petersen for her enthusiastic problem solving and for saying "yes!" to my initial bid to join her group. As my interests in triple oxygen isotopes grew, Ben Passey and Naomi Levin generously welcomed me into their orbit. Many thanks to Naomi for encouraging me to tackle messy problems with integrity and to Ben for sharing his analytical brilliance. I'm grateful to the community of students and faculty at UM who made postdoc-ing through a pandemic tolerable and who continue to provide inspiration for paleoclimate research.
I'm also grateful to my wonderful colleagues at Indiana University, especially Brian Yanites who nominated me for this award. Thanks to my family for their unwavering support, and to my husband David for reminding me enjoy life as we embark on academic careers and parenthood.
Finally, I'd like to thank Dr. and Mrs. Fred Donath for establishing this award, and GSA for supporting it. It's a privilege to be recognized amidst this community of outstanding geoscientists. I’m excited to continue working to uncover Earth's climate history for the benefit of science and society.