Matthew Winnick to Deliver the Robert Berner Lecture at the 2026 Goldschmidt Conference
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Matthew Winnick, associate professor in the College of Natural Science’s Department of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences, has been selected to deliver the Robert Berner Lecture at the 2026 Goldschmidt Conference, one of the leading international meetings in geochemistry. The conference will take place in Montreal, Canada from July 12-17. The Robert Berner Lecture recognizes a mid-career scientist who has “made exceptional contributions to understanding biogeochemical processes at Earth’s surface.”
Winnick’s research focuses on Earth-surface processes that regulate biogeochemical cycles across a wide range of timescales. His work examines how water, rocks, soils, and river networks interact to control the movement of carbon through landscapes and the broader Earth system, from short-term carbon dynamics in inland waters to the long-term carbon cycle that influences climate and habitability over geologic time.
“I’m honored to have been selected for the Robert Berner Lecture,” says Winnick. “Berner’s work helped define how many of us think about the long-term carbon cycle and Earth’s climate history, so this recognition is especially meaningful to me.” The honor also highlights the strength of Earth and Climate system science at UMass Amherst and the university’s role in advancing fundamental research on the processes that shape our planet.
Winnick’s work has helped explain how carbon is released, transported, and transformed across Earth’s surface, from river networks operating on short timescales to rock weathering systems that influence the long-term carbon cycle and evolution of climate through Earth history.
Learn more about the Robert Berner Lecture.