Woodward W. Fischer

BG Biogeosciences

The 2011 Division Outstanding Young Scientist Award is awarded to Woodward W. Fischer for his fundamental contribution to improve our understanding of diverse and fundamental environmental transitions in Earth history.

Our research stems from questions and issues presented by the historical record of Earth’s life and environments. We employ field geology, petrography and geochemical measurements on returned field samples, and laboratory experiments concerning the metabolisms and molecular biology of selected extant organisms, chosen to provide insight into ancient geobiological processes. Our current primary focus is understanding the rise of atmospheric oxygen and critical steps in the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis.We also have a series of projects working to understand the causes of past behavior of the global carbon cycle, and its connections to redox perturbations and climate during several major mass extinctions.