Nick Ward’s accomplishments related to understanding the biogeochemical cycling of carbon fully align with the spirit of the Thomas Hilker Early Career Award for Excellence in Biogeosciences and training not only for their importance to the biogeosciences community, but also for their relevance to society given the need to better understand the coastal ocean’s role in the global carbon cycle. Nick’s work appears in high-quality journals that span the fields of hydrology, ecology, and biogeochemistry. He has creatively broadened and deepened the biogeochemical research community’s understanding of carbon cycling processes in ways that surpass the most accomplished early-career scientists. His 2016 Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences and 2019 Limnology and Oceanography Letters publications demonstrated the importance of priming effects as a mechanism for decomposition of organic matter that would otherwise be considered recalcitrant in inland and coastal waters. Nick led another already highly cited 2020 Nature Communications review article titled “Representing the function and sensitivity of coastal interfaces in Earth system models,” which draws on literature from across coastal terrestrial, wetland, and aquatic domains to propose a road map for addressing knowledge gaps in coastal science to advance Earth system models. Nick has excelled in mentoring young researchers. Although working at a national laboratory, he has proactively sought opportunities to mentor more than a dozen undergraduate and graduate students from diverse backgrounds. Although he has an extremely broad and deep understanding of carbon cycling, he is not intimidating to the earlier-career researchers. Rather, they are inspired and encouraged by him to embrace the beauty of discovery and learning provided by research. His contributions as a servant to the science community are already distinguished.

Besides his unwavering commitment to the advancement of peer-reviewed research by reviewing for more than 30 different journals, he also serves as an associate editor for four journals.

Nick’s leadership skills of listening and building consensus were critical for the development of EXCHANGE, a community driven collaborative science project focused on developing a new understanding of coastal ecosystem function. We are fortunate to have such an accomplished and talented rising star within the biogeochemical sciences community.

—Kenneth M. Kemner, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Ill.

It is an amazing honor to receive the Thomas Hilker Award. I am humbled to be recognized alongside the groundbreaking scientists who have previously received this recognition as well as Dr. Hilker, whose legacy as a leader in understanding the global carbon cycle continues to have a lasting influence on the biogeosciences community. My journey navigating a career in science has had many twists and turns and exposed me to more lifelong friends, mentors, and cultures than I can count. One thing has remained consistent throughout this journey: the support and sense of community that societies like AGU foster. Attending AGU Fall Meetings has been a ritual since graduate school that consistently reinvigorates my scientific drive; seeing the insights and interdisciplinary connections that emerge when a highly diverse global geoscience community convenes is truly inspiring, and I am proud to be a part of this bustling community. A community-wide collaborative spirit is central to solving Earth’s largest challenges in the Anthropocene. Likewise, supporting and mentoring the next generation of scientists drive scientific innovation that builds on the foundation of past discoveries. The impact that I have personally made on how we understand the Earth system is a product of countless strong role models, mentors, mentees, peers, and inspirational geoscientists. Working in various marine chemistry labs as an undergraduate with Lihini Aluwihare, Dan Repeta, and others inspired me to pursue a career in science. My graduate advisers Jeff Richey and Rick Keil and postdoc adviser Tom Bianchi each emphasized in different ways the importance of understanding the history of biogeochemistry as motivation for novel studies that further advance the field. As a research scientist, I have been lucky to have mentorship from experts from many different fields and the opportunity to mentor young scientists with diverse backgrounds, which have fueled my insatiable desire to understand how carbon is cycled across the interface of different Earth systems. My nominator for this award, Ken Kemner, has been an incredible mentor along with my other letter writers, Pat Megonigal, Liz Canuel, and Tom Bianchi. There are too many fantastic people to name associated with the highly interdisciplinary project that I hold near to my heart—COMPASS Field, Measurements, and Experiments. The entire team is amazing, and the principal investigator, Vanessa Bailey, has been a major advocate and mentor. Of course, what matters most in life is family—thank you for your support, hugs, and kisses, Francis, Margot, and Katie! —Nicholas D. Ward, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Sequim, Wash.