Dr. Jin Zhang earned her B.S. in geology at Nanjing University in China in 2008 and her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2014. Following her Ph.D., she was a postdoctoral associate with Prof. Jay Bass, technology researcher for Consortium for Materials Properties Research in Earth Sciences (COMPRES), and assistant professor at the University of New Mexico. She is currently an associate professor at Texas A&M University.

Jin is an outstanding experimentalist in the field of high-pressure, high-temperature elasticity. Her primary research tool is Brillouin spectroscopy, but she is also broadly experienced in large- volume high-pressure work, petrology, and thermodynamics. She has studied a wide range of Earth and planetary materials by combining Brillouin spectroscopy with in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and investigated detailed compositional effects on elasticity of major crustal and mantle minerals at simultaneous high pressure and temperature. While her publications generally present highly specialized results, the implications are all directed to important outstanding

Earth science questions. In collaboration with seismologists, petrologists, and mineral physicists, she has made major advancements in modeling seismic properties of the upper mantle and the mantle transition zone, as well as subducted crust, with an ambitious goal to establish a 3D mineralogical model of Earth from surface to the center. So far, her high-quality elasticity data have enabled her to use lateral seismic velocity variation to place constraints on global lateral variations in wadsleyite proportion, temperature, and water content in the mantle transition zone. Jin is an excellent educator and an inspiration to young scientists. Two of her Ph.D. students’ work was recognized with the AGU Jamieson Student Paper Award and the Mineral and Rock Physics Graduate Research Award. Jin has actively participated and engaged in the mineral and rock physics community. She served as secretary of the Mineral and Rock Physics (MRP) section of AGU and was a member of the Education, Outreach, Infrastructure and Development Committee of COMPRES. In 2020, the University of New Mexico recognized her with its Women in STEM award. Jin is an excellent choice for the Mineral and Rock Physics Early Career Award, which recognizes the significance of her early-career accomplishments and anticipates further outstanding contributions in the future. Congratulations, Jin, on this well-deserved award!

—Yanbin Wang, Center for Advanced Radiation Sources, University of Chicago, Chicago

I am absolutely thrilled to be honored with the Mineral and Rock Physics Early Career Award this year, and I’m very grateful to my nominator, Yanbin Wang, and the AGU MRP section for this recognition. My career as a mineral physicist has been a wonderful endeavor, and I am immensely thankful to all my mentors, both formal and informal, who have guided me through this exhilarating path. Additionally, I am indebted to my friends, colleagues, and students who have accompanied and joined me through the highs and lows of my academic life. At Nanjing University, David Mainprice introduced me to the captivating realm of mineral and rock mechanics in a summer course he taught there. At the University of Illinois, my Ph.D. adviser and lifelong mentor Jay Bass not only provided invaluable guidance in developing, testing, and refining hypotheses with a wide range of technical skills, but also inspired me to be an enthusiastic and dedicated scientist. At Advanced Photon Source, Przemek Dera and many others there drew me into the exciting technical world of X-ray-related techniques. Upon joining the University of New Mexico and Texas A&M University, I consider myself extraordinarily fortunate to have met such exceptional colleagues and friends. Without their unwavering support, I would not have been able to achieve what I have thus far. Witnessing the success of my students, including Ming, Wenyi, Rose, Lacy, and many others, has been one of the most gratifying experiences of my life. For the past 15 years, since I made the decision to become a mineral physicist, I have always been surrounded by the cohesive and supportive mineral physics community. Collaboration within our community has always been enjoyable and fostered deep friendships. Many senior members of our community have not only offered boundless technical expertise and mental support, but also influenced me to a great extent in ways that I may not have realized until recently. Last, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to my parents, husband, and daughter for bringing immeasurable joy and happiness to my life. —Jin Zhang, Department of Geology and Geophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station