Christian Huber will receive the Hisashi Kuno Award at the 2015 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, to be held 14–18 December in San Francisco, Calif. The award recognizes “accomplishments of junior scientists who make outstanding contributions to the fields of volcanology, geochemistry, and petrology.”  

It gives me great pleasure to introduce the 2015 Hisashi Kuno Award recipient, Christian Huber. It is truly fitting that Chris should receive an award celebrating the activities of a young scientist in the Volcanology, Geochemistry, and Petrology (VGP) section as his research touches on a range of themes covered by this section. The research Chris has conducted spans diverse topics from volcano seismology to deciphering magmatic time scales from diffusion profiles. He already has written several influential papers on rejuvenation and pore-scale processes in magmatic systems, and he continues to broaden his research portfolio examining reactive porous flows and bubble coalescence and interacting with diverse data sets from crystal diffusion profiles to ground deformation.

Throughout his career Chris has blended Earth science and physics and has pursued rigor even when it has taken him on paths traveled by few. After receiving his geology undergraduate degree from the University of Geneva, he continued to do a master’s in volcano seismology, including a stint at the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park working with Bernard Chouet. He then received a second B.S. in physics from Geneva, before applying to work on his Ph.D. in Berkeley, with Michael Manga. Chris is a valuable faculty member at Georgia Tech, where he is an engaging presence. Chris is quick to incorporate new ideas and to distill the crux of many physical arguments. He is also a very collegial individual, and this has contributed to his ability to work with many students and faculty at Berkeley, Georgia Tech, and elsewhere.

Chris has a great mix of curiosity, creativity, and quantitative skill that makes him a real pleasure to interact with. Fellow VGP members, it is my privilege to present Christian Huber, this year’s recipient of the Kuno Award.

—Josef Dufek, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta

Thank you, Joe. I want to thank the committee, the VGP section of the American Geophysical Union, and my nominators for this honor. During my studies in Earth sciences in Geneva, Mike Dungan offered a field experience in the San Juan Islands to assist Pete Lipman (former postdoc of H. Kuno) and a second-year Ph.D. student, Olivier Bachmann. This experience ignited my passion for volcanology and initiated a friendship with Olivier that has lasted now for 18 years. Later, Bernard Chouet and Phil Dawson set the standard for patience while mentoring graciously the inept master student that I was. My struggles prompted the decision to step back from Earth sciences for 4 years and study physics. After physics, I moved to Berkeley for a Ph.D. with Michael Manga. Michael has always been a kind and patient adviser as he tried to show me the Jedi way to science. Don DePaolo also played an important role advising me about science and academia. Jim Watkins was my partner in crime; we remain close friends and collaborators to this day. As Joe Dufek joined Berkeley for his postdoc, it started a friendship and collaboration that has led me to Georgia Tech. There, I am blessed with great colleagues such as Andy Newman, Carol Paty, Ken Ferrier, Yuanzhi Tang, Martial Taillefert, and Chris Reinhardt. Since I started at Georgia Tech, I learned about my role of researcher and adviser from Olivier Bachmann, Dave Bercovici, Mark Jellinek, and Helge Gonnermann. I am extremely proud of my talented Ph.D. students, Yanqing Su, Salah Faroughi, and Hamid Karani. My good fortune has allowed me to lure in gifted postdocs, and I owe a lot to all of them. Andrea Parmigiani has been a special friend and collaborator for close to 10 years now, and I started exciting collaborations with Wim Degruyter, Caroline Bouvet de Maisonneuve, Babak Shafei, and, more recently, Tarsilo Girona. Finally, I would like to dedicate this award to my family, my wife, Olga, and daughter, Benedicte, and to my mother and late father. Thank you! —Christian Huber, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta