Renelle Dubosq

TS Tectonics and Structural Geology

The 2025 Arne Richter Award for Outstanding Early Career Scientists is awarded to Renelle Dubosq for pioneering nanogeology research, advancing our understanding of plastic deformation in minerals, using innovative 2D and 3D analytical techniques in tectonics and structural geology.

Renelle Dubosq has quickly established herself as a distinguished researcher and leader in the innovative field of nanogeology. Her pioneering research has significantly advanced our understanding of the complex interactions between plastic deformation and element distribution within naturally deformed geological materials.

Dubosq’s work is distinguished by her innovative integration of 2D and 3D micrometer- to nanometer-scale analytical technologies. These methodologies have allowed her to examine minerals such as garnet, pyrite, zircon, calcite, feldspar, pseudotachylytes, and ice at unprecedented scales. By applying cross-correlative microscopy techniques, she has provided new insights into the structural and chemical complexities of these materials.

One of her most notable achievements is the development of new methods in atom probe tomography (APT), including the ability to measure crystallographic orientation of nanostructural defects using atom probe tomography data alone. This groundbreaking technique has enabled Dubosq to document a new precipitation hardening mechanism in garnet, where the diffusion of iron along grain boundaries results in the nucleation of iron-rich clusters. These clusters act as barriers for migrating dislocations, leading to localized hardening. This discovery has profound implications for our understanding of mechanical failure in the lower continental crust and the nucleation of deep earthquakes. The European Geosciences Union is therefore pleased to present Renelle Dubosq with the Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award in the Tectonics and Structural Geology (TS) Division.