Medals and Awards

Richard (Rick) Sibson is awarded the 2020 R.A.F. Penrose Gold Medal for his fundamental advances in structural geology, impacting how economic geologists think about faults, their role in mineralizing processes, and integration of these ideas into exploration.

Rick graduated with a BSc Hons degree in geology from the University of Auckland, and MSc and PhD degrees from Imperial College, London. He taught at Imperial College (1973-1982) and the University of California-Santa Barbara (1982–1990), before returning to New Zealand in 1990 as a professor of geology at the University of Otago, retiring in early 2009. His research focuses on the structure of crustal fault zones and the mechanics of shallow crustal earthquakes, with related interests in crustal fluid flow and structural controls affecting the development of fault-hosted mineralization.

Kathy is awarded the 2020 SEG Silver Medal for her detailed and ground‐breaking work with respect to geology and metallurgy at the world-class Olympic Dam deposit, leading the development of geometallurgy as a discipline.

Kathy completed a PhD degree in geology at the University of California-Berkeley in 1991 and in 1992 joined the former WMC as a research geologist to work on the genesis of the Olympic Dam deposit, and to provide mineralogical support to metallurgy. Kathy moved to Adelaide in 2006 to lead the development of a geometallurgy program. In 2017, she received a Professional Excellence Award from the AusIMM and a degree of Doctor of Science honoris causa from Flinders University.

Barton (Bart) Suchomel is awarded the 2020 Ralph W. Marsden Award for his service and commitment to the Society, exemplified by his committee service over three decades with leadership roles as President of the Foundation and Chair of the SEG 2014 Conference Organizing Committee. He remains active on two key strategic committees, most notably the Investment and Audit Committees.

Bart received an MSc degree in economic geology from the University of Arizona and has more than 35 years of global experience in mineral exploration. Since 2016, Bart has worked with Newcrest Mining Ltd. as Vice President of Americas Exploration, playing a key role in building Newcrest’s presence in the Americas. Previously, Bart spent 11 years as a founding partner of consulting firm Western Mining Services. At WMS, Bart’s focus was on assisting mining and exploration companies in the areas of exploration strategy, planning, portfolio management, and new project development. He also has served as General Manager Exploration for WMC Resources Ltd., and has held other senior management roles, which included leading teams that discovered gold deposits in Chile, Brazil, and Australia.

Mathias Burisch is awarded the 2020 Waldemar Lindgren Award, recognizing him as one of a new generation of young academics marking a resurgence in the field of economic geology research and education in Europe.

Mathias is an assistant professor and head of the Mineral Systems Analysis group with the Department of Economic Geology and Petrology of the TU Bergakademie Freiberg (Germany). He received his PhD (Dr. rer. nat.) from the University of Tübingen in 2016. Since moving to Freiberg, he has built a research project portfolio centering on the ore deposits of the Erzgebirge. Mathias’s research is dedicated to the understanding of ore-forming processes in a broad range of hydrothermal environments. Together with his students, he constructs comprehensive mineral system models using a multitude of analytical methods such as fluid inclusion analysis, in-situ geochronology, trace element geochemistry, ore petrography, and thermodynamic computations.