Two UCSB professors recognized for contributions to the Earth sciences

UC Santa Barbara faculty members Anna Trugman and Gen Li have earned prestigious early-career awards from the American Geophysical Union (AGU).

Trugman has earned AGU’s 2025 James B. Macelwane Medal. This honor “recognizes significant contributions to the Earth and space science by an outstanding early career scientist” and includes induction into the AGU College of Fellows.

Meanwhile, the AGU bestowed Li with the Luna B. Leopold Early Career Award and selected him for the Robert Sharp Lectureship. The Leopold Award is presented to a researcher within ten years of receiving their Ph.D. who has made outstanding contributions that advance the field of Earth and planetary surface processes. Li will deliver the Robert Sharp Lecture at the AGU’s annual meeting this December in New Orleans.

“We are thrilled for Professors Trugman and Li,” said Rachel A. Segalman, vice chancellor for research. “Not only is this a well deserved recognition of each of their scientific contributions, it is also an important recognition of UCSB’s culture of embracing scientific innovation and discovery.”

Seeing the forest and the trees

“The Macelwane Medal is really a team award that is reflective of the hard work of my lab group,” said Trugman, a faculty member in the Department of Geography. “I’ve also benefited hugely from collaborations with scientists across the U.S. and internationally, as well as many mentors, including the team involved in nominating me.”

“The Macelwane Medal is the highest early-career award within AGU and the greatest honor an early career scholar can achieve in the field of Earth and environmental sciences,” explained Kelly Caylor, associate vice chancellor for research in Earth, environmental and sustainability sciences. “Professor Scott Jasechko received this medal in 2022; it is a testament to the excellence of our faculty that we now have two medalists in the past four years.”