Professor Michael Roderick and Professor Hugh O'Neill have been admitted as Fellows of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) for their exceptional contribution to Earth and space sciences.

Professor Roderick, who holds a joint position between the Research School of Earth Sciences and the Research School of Biology, researches environmental physics, hydrology, ecology and climate science.

"I was surprised, thrilled and honoured when I found out because I didn't even know I'd been nominated," he said.

Professor Roderick's election to the Fellowship was for scientific contributions to hydrology with special emphasis on the science of evaporation, including the role of vegetation.

"In Australia water is such a big deal for us. We don't have a lot of it and the award of an AGU Fellowship in Hydrology to an Australian is fantastic."

Professor O'Neill researches the chemical composition of the Earth and how the Earth differs from other possible planetary compositions, the origin of the Earth-Moon system, and how melting in the Earth's mantle relates to global tectonics and Earth history.

The pair are among only 13 Fellows from outside the US and the only Australians to be recognised.

Related links

• Source: ANU News, 10 August 2015
• American Geophysical Union announces 2015 Fellows, American Geophysical Union, 28 July 2015.