Exeter Fellow Paula Koelemeijer wins Royal Astronomical Society Fowler Award
Exeter College Fellow Professor Paula Koelemeijer has been awarded the 2026 Royal Astronomical Society Fowler Award for Geophysics, recognising outstanding early-career achievement in the field.
The Fowler Award is presented annually by the Royal Astronomical Society, the UK’s leading scientific society for astronomy and geophysics, to researchers who have made particularly noteworthy contributions at an early stage of their career. Professor Koelemeijer receives the award in recognition of her internationally regarded research on Earth’s deep interior, using seismic data to uncover structures and processes far beneath the Earth’s surface.
“It is a real honour to receive the Fowler Award from the Royal Astronomical Society. I feel fortunate that my passion for unravelling signals hidden in seismic data is being recognised and I am proud to represent the geophysics community with this award. It is not just a reflection of my work, but also acknowledges a large group of people I have had the pleasure of working with.”
– Professor Paula Koelemeijer
Professor Koelemeijer joined the University of Oxford in 2022 as Associate Professor in Earth Sciences, Royal Society University Research Fellow, and Tutorial Fellow at Exeter College. She previously completed her PhD in Seismology at the University of Cambridge and held research fellowships at ETH Zurich, University College Oxford, University College London, and Royal Holloway.
Her research encompasses a diverse range of applications of seismology, ranging from global tomography to image deep Earth structure, to seismic noise for studying human and animal behaviour. She is renowned for her expertise in normal modes, some of the most complex seismic signals used to probe Earth’s interior. Recently, her research has revealed the evolutionary history of two continent-sized structures in the deep mantle and detailed how a landslide-induced tsunami shook the Earth for days.
Alongside her research, Professor Koelemeijer is a dedicated tutor and supervisor of Master’s and DPhil students and teaches a variety of geophysics courses to undergraduate students. She is also an avid supporter of outreach and public engagement, making use of 3D printing to develop inclusive outreach materials.
“We are delighted to learn that the Royal Astronomical Society is awarding its Fowler Early Career Award to Paula Koelemeijer. The award recognises particularly noteworthy contributions to geophysics from scientists at an early career stage, and Paula is a most deserving recipient. This award is a testament to the quality of Paula’s research, to her collegiality and contributions to mentoring other scientists, and to her status as a leader in the field of seismology.”
– Professor Conall MacNiocaill, Head of the Department of Earth Sciences and Fellow in Earth Sciences at Exeter College
The College warmly congratulates Professor Koelemeijer on this outstanding and well-deserved recognition.
A full list of 2026 Royal Astronomical Society award and medal winners is available on the Royal Astronomical Society website.
