Charles and Nora L. Wiley Award for Meritorious Research and Creativity

Mark Skidmore

Mark Skidmore, professor in the Department of Earth Sciences in the College of Letters and Science, is the recipient of this year’s Wiley Award for Meritorious Research and Creativity. The award — recognizing significant, extensive or mature research achievements and activity — is sponsored by the Wiley family and Office of Research and Economic Development and comes with a $2,000 honorarium.

Skidmore studies life in extreme polar and alpine environments and is an expert on the geomicrobiology of subglacial/ice sheet systems. His extensive field work has included two successful field campaigns by MSU research teams, sampling two different subglacial lakes beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, during which he conducted parallel research to understand the role of certain elements as sources of energy for subglacial microbial systems. In the past decade, he has attracted over $10 million in research funding, including from NASA and the National Science Foundation. MSU Regents Professor Emerita Cathy Whitlock has said Skidmore’s studies of life in extreme environments have put MSU on the map as a leading research institution in the field of geomicrobiology.

In a nomination letter, Earth Sciences department head David Varricchio recognized Skidmore’s many publications in esteemed journals, his sustained service to the profession and the department, and his strong commitment to mentoring MSU graduate and undergraduate student researchers.