Geoscientist Patricia M. Dove receives top scientific honor
Patricia M. Dove, C.P. Miles Professor of Science in the Department of Geosciences in the College of Science, has been elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) for her sustained excellence in original scientific research. Membership in the NAS is one of the highest honors given to a scientist in the United States. Dove will be inducted into the Academy next April during its 150th annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
One of today’s pre-eminent geochemists, Dove has made major contributions to research in the biogeochemistry of Earth processes, the physical basis of biomineralization, and geochemical controls on geophysical properties. Her work is supported by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy, among others.
“Dr. Dove’s pioneering research has helped put the university on the academic map nationally and internationally, and her outstanding teaching has been a draw for exceptionally talented graduate students and junior faculty,” said Virginia Tech Senior Vice President and Provost Mark G. McNamee. In concert with McNamee, university President Charles W. Steger commented, “Having this world-class scholar in our midst is a tremendous asset for the entire community, and we are thrilled that Dr. Dove’s work has been recognized with this rare honor.”
Dove's publications have been cited more than 3,000 times. She has had papers published in high-profile scientific journals such as Science, Nature, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Dove received the Geochemical Society’s Clarke Medal in 1996, and on two occasions, she received the U.S. Department of Energy’s Best University Research Award. She is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the Geochemical Society, and the European Association of Geochemistry.
Elected along with 83 others, Dove brings the number of active NAS members to 2,152. She joins the ranks of an academy that included some renowned members such as Albert Einstein, Robert Oppenheimer, Thomas Edison, Orville Wright, and Alexander Graham Bell. Nearly 200 Academy members have won Nobel Prizes.
Dove earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Virginia Tech and her Ph.D. from Princeton University. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University and was a faculty member at Georgia Tech for several years before joining the Virginia Tech faculty in 2000.
Established by President Abraham Lincoln, the National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit honorific society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research. The NAS is dedicated to furthering science and technology and their use for the general welfare.
Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.
