Niels J. de Winter

SSP Stratigraphy, Sedimentology and Palaeontology

The 2021 Division Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award is awarded to Niels J. de Winter for his outstanding research on the application of µXRF analyses on biominerals to reconstruct palaeo-seasonality during past greenhouse climates.

Niels J. de Winter completed his PhD at the Free University of Brussels in Belgium in 2019. For his thesis on the reconstruction of palaeoseasonality during past greenhouse climates, he used biominerals as high-resolution archives. Currently, he is affiliated as a postdoctoral fellow with both Utrecht University in the Netherlands and the Free University of Brussels.

In his research, de Winter combines high-resolution trace-element analyses by µXRF scanning of (bio)minerals (i.e., bivalve shells and tooth enamel) with international expertise in biology, chemistry, geology, sedimentology, and palaeontology to revolutionize the understanding of mollusk shell chemistry and how we can use it as a (bio)archive for reconstructing palaeoseasonality during past greenhouse climates. He uses a multi-proxy approach that covers modern, archaeological, and fossil (bio)mineral archives.

Since the start of his PhD, de Winter has published 22 papers in leading international journals. This impressive publication record highlights his ability to set up a successful international and interdisciplinary collaboration network and to perform at the forefront of science. He is an active member of the SSP community and a worthy recipient of the Stratigraphy, Sedimentology and Palaeontology Division’s Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award.