This is the highest award of The Micropalaeontological Society. It is named in honour of George Stewardson Brady (1832-1921) and Henry Bowman Brady (1835-1891) in recognition of their outstanding pioneering studies in micropalaeontology and natural history.

The Medal is awarded to scientists who have had a major influence on micropalaeontology by means of a substantial body of excellent research. Service to the scientific community may also be a factor for consideration by the Award Committee. The medal was commissioned and awarded for the first time in 2007 to Prof. John W. Murray.

The Medal is cast in bronze from original sculptures commissioned by The Micropalaeontological Society in 2007.  The sculptor is Anthony Stones, a  Fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptors and President (1999-2004) of The Society of Portrait Sculptors. The Medal is hand-crafted by the leading sculpture foundry Pangolin Editions of Chalford, England.

2023 Brady Medal Winner

Prof. Kate Darling

The presentation of the Brady Medal to Prof. Kate Darling during the TMS Annual Meeting

Previous Recipients of the Brady Medal

• 2022: Prof. David Horne
• 2021: no award made
• 2020: Dr Joyce Singano
• 2019: Prof. Patrick De Deckker
• 2018: Prof. Malcolm Hart
• 2017: Prof. John R. Haynes
• 2016: Prof. Ellen Thomas
• 2015: Dr Marty Buzas
• 2014: Prof. David Siveter
• 2013: Dr Graham Lee Williams
• 2012: Prof. Richard J. Aldridge
• 2011: Prof. John A. Barron
• 2010: Prof. Christopher R. Barnes
• 2009: Prof. Thomas M. Cronin
• 2008: Prof. Katharina von Salis
• 2007: Prof. John W. Murray

Mechanism for making a nomination

All nominations must be made via this nomination form. Nominations must have a Proposer and a Seconder, who should be Members of the Society and not be affiliated with the same institute as the person they nominate.  The completed nomination form should be returned to the Secretary of the Society by the 31st March. Nominations must be made in the strictest confidence, and in no circumstance should the person nominated be informed.

Presented annually to a mid-career scientist in recognition of their commitment to fostering positive and inclusive environments

The Todd and Low Award is named in honour of Ruth Todd (1913 – 1984) and Doris Low (1920 – 2008). Ruth Todd was one of the world’s leading authorities on foraminifera and studied both fossil and modern species from all over the world, with expertise in taxonomy and systematics, biostratigraphy and (palaeo)ecology. Ruth was also the first recipient of the Joseph A. Cushman Award and was elected a GSA Fellow in 1955. Ruth Todd acted as a mentor to Doris Low, who became a proficient foraminifera researcher in her own right. Together, they curated the Cushman Foraminifera Collection and managed the Ruth Todd Memorial Library (which began as the Joseph Cushman Library) at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. This award, which recognises the importance of teaching and mentorship, was named after these researchers because of their positive mentor-mentee relationship, and commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). 

The Todd and Low Award is given to a mid-career scientist, 10 to 30 years from the highest attained degree (excluding career breaks). This award will recognise candidates who demonstrate a commitment to teaching, mentoring, EDI, accessibility and fostering a positive culture within their workplace environment. We value, welcome and encourage applications for this award from those in academia and industry alike. 

There are many ways in which individuals can evidence their commitment to these principles include:  

• Working with and/or mentoring individuals, particularly those from historically underrepresented groups in geoscience  
• Actively participating in learned society/service committee(s) 
• Implementing EDI and accessibility initiatives within their community 
• Showcasing micropalaeontology (and allied fields) to the public/education groups through public engagement activities 
• Being a positive role model to others 

A career break for this award is defined as a substantial period of leave which would impact professional endeavours and trajectory, such as parental leave, medical leave and trying out new careers (not an exhaustive list). For the committee’s information, career breaks should be noted briefly, if known, so that the panel can assess the application thoroughly and appropriately. We would like to reassure applicants that this information will not disadvantage them and that all applications are confidential.

Any information and/or EDI strategies mentioned within applications will be treated with full confidence and stay within panel discussions. The information will not be used to inform any society activities. Nominators will remain anonymous to the awarding committee.

The award will be presented at the Micropalaeontology Society’s Annual General Meeting held in November each year. The award has a value of £300, but more importantly, it is meant to serve as a substantive endorsement of the value of the recipient’s work made by their peers. The first award was made in 2021.

Nominations can be made by any TMS member. Nominees need not be TMS members. To make a nomination, please complete the form here, which will ask for the name of two nominators (one of whom must be a TMS member) and relationship to the nominee; the name, e-mail address, graduation date and place of highest academic qualification of the nominee; and a brief (max. 500 words) case for support.

All applications must be received by the 28th of February each year.

All nominations will be considered at the Spring TMS Committee meeting. Nominations must be made in the strictest confidence and the person nominated should not be informed.  

Unsuccessful nominations will be retained for re-assessment the following year, with the option for the nomination to be updated. After this, resubmission is possible for a further year, assuming that the individual remains eligible (three submissions total).

We additionally expect nominees to adhere to the Nolan Principles of Public Life. We remind nominators that TMS is a signatory of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment. 

For further information or questions, please contact the TMS secretary at secretary@tmsoc.org.

Presented annually to an early career scientist in recognition of significant achievement in applied and industrial micropalaeontology.

Alan Charles Higgins (1936–2004) was a micropalaeontologist and expert on conodonts who made major contributions to Palaeozoic biostratigraphy and helped firmly establish the value of micropalaeontology in hydrocarbon exploration. He was the founding member of TMS, its past Chairman and Honorary Member. The award has been established with the help of Alan’s family and friends to commemorate his contribution to micropalaeontology and to encourage early career researchers in the field.

The Alan Higgins Award is given to an early career scientist, less than 10 years from graduation (excluding career breaks), in recognition of significant achievement in the field of applied and industrial micropalaeontology, as documented by publications, software, patents, leadership or educational activities. We value, welcome and encourage applications for this award from those in academia and industry alike.

The award will be presented at the Micropalaeontology Society’s Annual General Meeting held in November each year. The award has a value of £300, but more importantly, it is meant to serve as a substantive endorsement of the value of the recipient’s work made by their peers. The first award was made in 2010.

To make a nomination, please complete the form here, which will ask for the name and e-mail address of two nominators (one of whom must be a TMS member) and relationship to the nominee; the name, e-mail address, graduation date, and place of highest academic qualification of the nominee; and a brief (max. 500 words) case for support.

All applications must be received by the 28th of February each year.

All nominations will be considered at the Spring TMS Committee meeting. Nominations must be made in the strictest confidence and the person nominated should not be informed. Nominations can be made by any TMS member. Nominees need not be TMS members.

Unsuccessful nominations will be retained for re-assessment the following year, with the option for the nomination to be updated. After this, resubmission is possible for a further year assuming that the individual remains eligible (three submissions total).

We additionally expect nominees to adhere to the Nolan Principles of Public Life. We remind nominators that TMS is a signatory of the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment.

For further information or any questions please contact the TMS secretary at secretary@tmsoc.org.

2023 Alan Higgins Award Winner

Raúl Trejos Tamayo

Past recipients of the Alan Higgins Award:

• 2022: Allison Hsiang
• 2020: Raphael Morard
• 2019: Abduljamiu Amao
• 2018: Haytham El Atfy
• 2017: Eiichi Setoyama
• 2016: Fabrizio Frontalini
• 2015: Tom Hill
• 2013: Erik Anthonissen
• 2012: Tom Dunkley Jones
• 2011: Bridget Wade
• 2010: Severyn Kender

Presented annually to an early career researcher for the most significant publication

The late Charles Downie was a pioneer of palynology in the U.K. and a mentor who guided the thinking and development of many postgraduate students who passed through the University of Sheffield. Through the efforts of former colleagues at Sheffield, a permanent memorial was established to recognize Charles’ contribution to micropalaeontology.

An award is made annually to an early career researcher who, in the opinion of the Committee, has published the most significant original paper in any journal or book based on their postgraduate research in the previous year that includes micropalaeontology. Significance is understood as the extent to which the work has influenced, or has the capacity to influence, knowledge and scholarly thought, or the development and understanding of policy and/or practice. The award of £200 and a 1-year free membership to the Society will be presented at the Micropalaeontology Society’s Annual General Meeting held in November each year.

To make a nomination, please complete the form here, which will ask for your name and e-mail address, the name and e-mail address of the nominee and a link to an open-access version of the paper. If an open-access version of the article is not available, then please send a PDF of the paper to the TMS Secretary and make sure to include “Charles Downie Award” in the subject header. All applications must be received by the 28th of February each year (for articles published in the previous year).

All nominations will be considered at the Spring TMS Committee meeting. Nominations must be made in the strictest confidence and the person nominated should not be informed. Nominations can be made by any TMS member. Nominees need not be TMS members. We welcome and encourage nominations for this award for those in academia and industry alike.

2023 Winner of the Charles Downie Award

Tonke Strack (MARUM, University of Bremen) M., 2022. Plankton response to global warming is characterized by non-uniform shifts in assemblage composition since the last ice age. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 6, pp. 1871-1880

Past recipients of the Charles Downie Award:

• 2022: Savannah Worne (Nottingham Trent University)
  Worne, S., Stroynowski, Z., Kender, S. and Swann, G.E., 2021. Sea-ice response to climate change in the Bering Sea during the Mid-Pleistocene Transition. Quaternary Science Reviews, 259, p.106918. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2021.106918
• 2021: Chloe Jones (University of Southampton)
  Jones, CLC, Schmidt, DN, Robinson, MM, & De Schepper, S (2020). Planktic foraminiferal test size and weight response to the late Pliocene environment. Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology, 35(1). doi:10.1029/2019PA003738
• 2020: Maria Grigoratou (University of Bristol)
  Grigoratou M, Monteiro FM, Schmidt DN, Wilson JD, Ward BA, and Ridgwell A (2019) A trait-based modelling approach to planktonic foraminifera ecology. Biogeosciences 16: 1469–1492. doi:10.5194/bg-16-1469-2019
• 2019: Rowan Dejardin (University of Bristol)
  Dejardin R, Kender S, Allen CS, Leng MJ, Swann GEA, and Peck VL (2018) ‘‘Live” (stained) benthic foraminiferal living depths, stable isotopes, and taxonomy offshore South Georgia, Southern Ocean: Implications for calcification depths. Journal of Micropalaeontology 37: 25–71. doi:10.5194/jm-37-25-2018
• 2018: Anieke Brombacher (University of Southampton)
  Brombacher A, Wilson PA, Bailey I, and Ezard THG (2017) The breakdown of static and evolutionary allometries during climatic upheaval. The American Naturalist190 (3): 350–62. doi:10.1086/692570
• 2017: Isabel Fenton (Natural History Museum, London)
  Fenton IS, Pearson PN, Dunkley Jones T, Farnsworth A, Lunt DJ, Markwick P, and Purvis A (2016) The impact of Cenozoic cooling on assemblage diversity in planktonic foraminifera. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 371: 20150224. doi:10.1098/rstb.2015.0224
• 2016: Sam Slater (University of Sheffield)
  Slater SM, and Wellman CH (2015) A quantitative comparison of dispersed spore/pollen and plant megafossil assemblages from a Middle Jurassic plant bed from Yorkshire, UK. Paleobiology 41(4): 640-660.
• 2015: Manuel Weinkauf (University Bremen)
  Weinkauf MFG, Moller T, Koch MC, and Kucera M (2014) Disruptive selection and bet-hedging in planktonic Foraminifera: Shell morphology as predictor of extinctions. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 2: 64. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2014.00064.
• 2014: Katy Prentice (Imperial College London)
  Prentice K, Dunkley Jones T, Lees J, Young J, Bown P, Langer G, Fearn S, and EIMF (2014) Trace metal (Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca) analyses of single coccoliths by Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 146: 90-106.
• 2013: Lyndsey R. Fox (University of Leeds)
  Fox LR, and Wade BS (2013) Systematic taxonomy of early-middle Miocene planktonic foraminifera from the Equatorial Pacific Ocean: Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Site U1338. Journal of Foraminiferal Research 43: 374-405.
• 2012: Phillip E. Jardine (University of Birmingham)
  Jardine PE, Harrington GJ, and Stidham TA (2012) Regional-scale spatial heterogeneity in the late Paleoceneparatropical forests of the U.S. Gulf Coast. Paleobiology 38(1): 15-39.
• 2011: Tracy Aze (Cardiff University)
  Aze T, Ezard THG, Purvis A, Coxall HK, Stewart DRM, Wade BS, and Pearson PN (2011) A phylogeny of Cenozoic macroperforate planktonic foraminifera from fossil data. Biological Reviews 86: 900-927.
• 2010: Clara Bolton (University of Southampton)
  Bolton CT, Gibbs SJ and Wilson PA (2010) Evolution of nutricline dynamics in the equatorial Pacific during the Late Pliocene. Paleoceanography 25: PA1207. doi:10.1029/2009PA001821
• 2009: Tom Dunkley-Jones (UCL)
  Dunkley Jones T, Bown PR and Pearson PN (2009) Exceptionally well preserved upper Eocene to lower Oligocene calcareous nannofossils (Prymnesiophyceae) from the Pande Formation (Kilwa Group), Tanzania.  Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 7: 359-411.
• 2008: Magali Schweizer (ETH)
  Schweizer M, Pawlowski J, Kouwenhoven TJ, Guiard J, and van der Zwaan B (2008) Molecular phylogeny of Rotaliida (Foraminifera) based on complete small subunit rDNA sequences. Marine Micropaleontology 66: 233-246.
• 2007: Kirsty M. Edgar (University of Southampton)
  Edgar KM, Wilson PA, Sexton PF, and Suganuma Y (2007) No extreme bipolar glaciation during the main Eocene calcite compensation shift Nature 448: 908-911.
• 2006: Eleanor Madison
  Maddison EJ, Pike J, Leventer A, Dunbar R, Brachfeld S, Domack EW, Manley P, and McClennen C (2006) Post-glacial seasonal diatom record of the Mertz Glacier Polynya, East Antarctica. Marine Micropaleontology 60: 66-88.
• 2005: Samantha J. Gibbs (National Oceanography Centre) Gibbs SJ, Young JR, Bralower TJ, and Shackleton NJ (2005) Nannofossil evolutionary events in the mid-Pliocene: an assessment of the degree of synchrony in the extinctions of Reticulofenestra pseudoumbilicus and Sphenolithus abies. Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology 217: 155-172.
• 2004: Daniela N. Schmidt (University of Bristol)
  Schmidt DN, Thierstein HR, Bollmann J, and Schiebel R (2004) Abiotic forcing of plankton evolution in the Cenozoic. Science 303: 207-210.
• 2003: Martin A. Pearce
  Pearce MA, Jarvis I, Swan ARH, Murphy AM, Tocher BA, and Edmunds WM (2003). Integrating palynological and geochemical data in a new approach to palaeoecological studies: Upper Cretaceous of the Banterwick Barn Chalk borehole, Berkshire, UK. Marine Micropaleontology 47 (3-4): 271-306.
• 2002: Henning Blom
  Blom H, Märss T, and Miller GC (2002) Silurian and earliest Devonian Birkeniid anaspids from the Northern Hemisphere. Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: Earth Science 92(3-4): 263-323.
• 2001: Gary Mullins (University of Leicester)
  Mullins G (2001) Acritarchs and prasinophyte algae of the Elton Group, Ludlow Series, of the type area. Monograph of the Palaeontographical Society, London155: 154pp.
• 2000: Paul Dodsworth (University of Sheffield)
  Dodsworth P (2000) Trans-atlantic dinoflagellate cyst stratigraphy across the Cenomanian-Turonian (Cretaceaous) Stage Boundary. Journal of Micropalaeontology 19: 69-84.

Charles Downie Memorial Award Contributors

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