CIM

Barlow Medal for Best Geological Paper

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Barlow Medal for Best Geological Paper

For the best geological paper published in CIM publications during the preceding year

IMPORTANT CHANGES
Please note that the winner(s) of this award will be recognized on screen during the CIM-Caterpillar Awards Gala. They will also receive the award in person at an alternative time and location, to be announced later.

Origins & Conditions

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Born on June 17, 1861, Alfred Ernest Barlow joined the Geological Survey of Canada in 1883, where he would help to define some of Canada’s most prolific mining regions. Barlow was the first geologist to recognize the Huronian belt in Ontario as a mineral rich location, and he wrote the book on the nickel and copper deposits of Sudbury. He served as president of CIM from 1912 until his untimely death in 1914. The Barlow Medal for Best Geological Paper was created in his honour, annually awarding a gold medal to those who publish the best paper on economic geology.

The Barlow Medal for Best Geological Paper criteria and other information:

  1. The award is presented annually, and there may be more than one recipient in any given year. 
  2. The winning paper will be selected by the Barlow Medal for Best Geological Paper Committee, chaired by the Vice-President-Elect of the Geological Society.
  3. The Committee shall present its report and recommendations to CIM Council not later than the last Council prior to the CIM Conference & Exhibition.
  4. When reasonably possible, the recipient shall be expected to receive the award in person during the course of the CIM Conference & ExhIbition following the announcement of the award, or at such a time or place as CIM Council may direct.

Recipients

There is only one recipient of this award every year. This award is for both individual or team nominations.

Winners

2024

George Simandl

"Future of photovoltaic materials with emphasis on resource availability, economic geology, criticality, and market size/growth" 

Dr. George J. Simandl earned a B.Sc. in geology from Concordia University, an M.Sc. from Carleton University, and a Ph.D. in Mineral Engineering from Ecole Polytechnique de Montréal. His career spans roles with Iron Ore of Canada, Atomic Energy of Canada, Canada Talc Industries, and the British Columbia Geological Survey (BCGS), as well as consulting in critical materials and industrial minerals. From 2010 to 2020, he led the Specialty Metals component of Targeted Geoscience Initiatives 4 and 5, a collaboration between Natural Resources Canada and BCGS. Currently, he serves as an adjunct professor at the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of Victoria, focusing on economic geology, critical material-bearing ore deposits, exploration methodologies, and raw material supply chains. He has co-authored over 200 scientific, technical, and market-oriented papers. 

2024

Suzanne Paradis

"Future of photovoltaic materials with emphasis on resource availability, economic geology, criticality, and market size/growth" 

Dr. Suzanne Paradis is a senior research scientist at the Geological Survey of Canada. Her main research activity focuses on sediment-hosted base metal deposits, including Mississippi Valley–type and clastic-dominated sediment-hosted Zn-Pb deposits and associated critical metals. She provides insight into their origin, timing, and tectono-stratigraphic setting. Other fields of expertise include volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits of Archean and Proterozoic belts. She was recently involved in Natural Resources Canada research activities related to critical material ore systems in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey and Geoscience Australia.