Kevin Rosso Named American Geophysical Union Fellow

Kevin Rosso, a chemist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), has been elected a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU). Rosso joins 53 scientists named in the 2024 class, who will be honored in December at AGU24 in Washington, DC.

“I’ve spent my career working at the interface of multiple disciplines,” said Rosso. “AGU has allowed me to develop connections across scientific fields, necessary for solving geochemical challenges.”

AGU Fellowships are exceptionally competitive. AGU is the largest Earth and space science organization in the world at roughly 60,000 members―no more than 0.1% of its membership can be elected to Fellowship each year. AGU Fellows are recognized for their “exceptional contributions to Earth and space science through a breakthrough, discovery, or innovation in their field.” Fellows are mid- or senior-career scientists nominated by other AGU members. Beyond singular discoveries or innovations, AGU Fellows may be selected to highlight their sustained scientific impact to a field.

“Kevin’s work shows how bridging scientific disciplines can produce powerful science," said Louis Terminello, PNNL Associate Laboratory Director, Physical and Computational Sciences. "Beyond his abilities as a researcher, Kevin is an exceptional international leader who has been central to PNNL’s geochemistry program.”

Rosso’s election was specifically for “novel advancements in understanding and predicting the kinetics of critical environmental redox reactions in complex (bio)geochemical systems.”

His nominating peer group noted his exceptional accomplishments. Susan Brantley, the Evan Pugh University Professor and Hubert and Mary Barnes Professor of Geosciences at Penn State, stated that “Kevin is known internationally for his extensive research on the reactivity of minerals as related to their electronic structure, a very difficult yet rich aspect of mineral physics.” According to James Kubicki, Professor and Chair of the Earth, Environmental & Resource Sciences Department at the University of Texas at El Paso, “Kevin has been a trailblazer in geochemistry for decades. He has tackled important, complex topics and has improved our understanding of redox and surface chemistry more than anyone else I am aware of.” Michelle Scherer, Dean of the College of Engineering at Michigan Tech, highlighted that “his group’s discoveries have created a new field centered on the key role minerals play in storing and releasing charge (i.e., electrons) in the environment.”

Throughout his career, Rosso has focused on understanding how electrons move between aqueous ions, mineral surfaces, and enzymes. His work has expanded over the years into various application spaces including geologic carbon sequestration, stress corrosion cracking in alloys, performance optimization of lithium battery materials, and the design of semiconductor materials for solar photocatalysis. Central to his approach is molecular interfacial science, which combines advanced characterization, molecular simulation, and field-based knowledge.

“It’s a gratifying honor to have my basic geochemistry research, which has benefited from collaborations across a diversity of disciplines, be recognized by one of the world’s preeminent geoscience communities,” said Rosso.

Rosso is currently the director of the Center for Understanding Subsurface Signals and Permeability (CUSSP). CUSSP is an Energy Earthshot Research Center developing the fundamental knowledge necessary for meeting the Department of Energy’s Enhanced Geothermal Shot goals. The multidisciplinary CUSSP team is working to develop the ability to predict and control fluid flow through fracture networks in enhanced geothermal systems.

Rosso also leads the Department of Energy, Basic Energy Sciences program’s geosciences program at PNNL and co-leads a Spatiotemporal Regime in the Ion Dynamics in Radioactive Environments and Materials Energy Frontier Research Center. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a Fellow of the Geochemical Society and the European Association of Geochemistry, and a member of the Washington State Academy of Sciences.