Dr. Olga Schmitz Awarded 2025 Early Career Researcher Award from the International Paleolimnological Association
The award recognizes excellence in paleolimnological research among scientists within ten years of their PhD
The International Paleolimnological Association (IPA) has granted the IPA Early Career Researcher Award 2025 to Dr. Olga Schmitz in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the fields of paleolimnology – the recreation and study of past inland waters – and conservation paleobiology.
Dr. Schmitz received the award for her pioneering research on ostracods and their significance as indicators of past environmental and ecological change. Combining paleoecological, geochemical, and conservation-oriented perspectives, her work has advanced understanding of how freshwater ecosystems have developed and responded to natural and human influences over time. Her studies provide key insights that support efforts in ecosystem conservation and restoration.
The IPA Early Career Researcher Award is presented once every three years to two early-career scientists worldwide who are within ten years of completing their PhD, recognizing excellence and potential in paleolimnological research. Dr. Schmitz was selected for this honor less than a year after completing her PhD, reflecting the impact and promise of her early contributions to the field.
The award ceremony took place during the IAL–IPA 2025 meeting (6th to 11th of October) in Aix-les-Bains, France, where Dr. Schmitz delivered a plenary lecture on her latest research in ostracod ecology and conservation paleobiology. The award was presented by Prof. Helen Bennion (University College London), President of the International Paleolimnological Association, following a laudatory speech by Prof. Peter Frenzel, who nominated Dr. Schmitz for the award.
This award acknowledges Dr. Schmitz’s achievements as a promising early-career researcher contributing to the advancement of paleolimnology and environmental science.
